Newsroom Hospital for Special Surgery

Born Without a Right Hand, HSS Patient Britt Apgar Reaches Professional Baseball Championship Series

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:30:00 -0400

Born without a right hand, Britt Apgar is now a professional baseball player in the inaugural season of the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL). With support from Chrysta Irolla, MS, MSPO, CPO, Director of Orthotic and Prosthetic Clinical Services at HSS, Apgar received a custom prosthetic that allowed her to feel the weight of a bat in both hands for the first time, helping her safely compete at the highest level and pursue her dream on the field.

Now, Apgar and the LA Queens are competing for the WPBL championship title.

Read the full article at abcnews.com.

Watch Greensboro's Brittany Apgar share her experience getting a prosthetic to bat in the WPBL

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:37:38 -0400

Winston Salem Journal highlighted how Chrysta Irolla, CPO, Director of Orthotic and Prosthetic Clinical Services at HSS, worked with professional baseball player Brittany Apgar to develop a customized prosthetic that helped her compete safely in the inaugural Women's Professional Baseball League season.

Watch the video at journalnow.com.

Born with one hand, WPBL's Brittany Apgar living her baseball dream with help from HSS

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:31:00 -0400

When Britt Apgar stepped up to the plate for her Women's Professional Baseball League debut, she carried more than the excitement of a first at-bat. For the first time in her life, she was swinging with two hands, thanks to a custom prosthetic developed with the help of Chrysta Irolla, MS, MSPO, CPO, director of Prosthetics and Orthotics at HSS.

“I remember walking up to the batter’s box and, for the first time, feeling confident,” Apgar said. “My legs weren’t shaking. I was standing there thinking, ‘I’m about to hit the crap out of this ball!’”

Apgar grounded out in her first at-bat, but the outcome was beside the point. The moment represented something far more meaningful than a result in the scorebook.

“I feel like my teammates now,” she said.

Read the full article at mlb.com.

Born without a right hand, Britt Apgar is set to play in the Women’s Professional Baseball League

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:39:00 -0400

The Associated Press reported on Britt Apgar's journey to playing in the Women's Professional Baseball League. Born with a limb difference, Apgar came to HSS to collaborate with Chrysta Irolla, MS, MSPO, CPO, Director of Prosthetics and Orthotics at HSS, on building a custom prosthetic.

Irolla is building a prosthetic for Apgar with a gel liner and a hook extension that is designed to fit around the bat and provide a more secure attachment. Doctors used some of the bones in Apgar’s left leg and foot to help strengthen her arm when she was a kid, so HSS also is creating custom foot orthotics for her with built-in rigid plates.

“She’s very open to trying new things. She just wants to perform at the highest level and everything that she can do to get there,” Irolla said. “It’s really nice to have somebody be that open and creative and motivated.”

Apgar has no feeling in her nub. During one visit with Irolla, she tried on a prosthetic that mimicked the sensation of touch.

“It was the first time that I had held a bat and it felt like I was holding it with two hands. So I started tearing up,” she said. “It was such a mind-blowing feeling.”

Read the full article at apnews.com.