Kansas Amputee gets Surprise Holiday Gift: Electronic Hands

A southern Kansas woman who lost her hands and feet during a robbery got an early Christmas gift – new electronic hands worth $260,000, courtesy of a businessman and his wife.

Julie Dombo of Derby showed off her new hands publicly Tuesday with her husband, a day after receiving them as a present from Koch Industries’ general counsel Mark Holden and his wife.

Dombo met Holden in October at a Wichita Crime Commission awards banquet. That’s where Dombo told Holden about how insurance wouldn’t pay for the electronic hands she said would give her a chance at a relatively ordinary life. Holden said secretly wrote a personal check for them.

On Tuesday, Holden called Dombo “inspiring, funny, lighthearted,” with no signs of resentment.