Presenting… The FilamenTree

A 3d printed christmas tree, designed to support a good cause.

With november coming to a close and december drawing near, i felt the need to design something for my son. Something christmassy, yet also 3d-printing related. My son will turn five years old this december. He always loves to watch me as i work on my 3d printers or do anything technical.

He was born in 2017 with a cleft lip and pallate. Even though we knew from the 20th week of pregnancy he would have this birth defect, he was more than welcome. We always wanted to have a child. Having a child with this birth defect and providing the right care for him is tough.

Fortunately we had some of the best medical professionals who were able to help him (and us as parents). He had to undergo two surgeries before turning one year old. 

Most recently, last october, he had another surgery and they've succesfully closed his pallate and made sure the wound would be able to heal properly by using a resin 3d printed protective cover, custom designed for him after they took a 3d scan of his pallate. He's not yet off the hook though. A child with this birth defect will need medical help up untill age 18.

Since 3d printing has been a creative outlet for me for many years now and it has also played an important role in helping my son with his condition, i figured, why not use it to do some good this Christmas.

There are a lot of children who are born with this birth defect in countries where the right care is not always available. Fortunately there are also foundations and charities working to help these children.

TessUnlimited is one of those foundations.

https://tessunlimited.nl/en/

Helping kids in Guatemala who were born with the same birth defect as my own son.I want to dedicate this design to their cause. Every sale of the FilamenTree design will go towards their efforts.

So Help a kid this christmas by downloading this tree or donating through their own website directly.