MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — Aubrey Sauvy plays to her own rhythm.
At just 12 years old, Aubrey is already selling her own art, competing in dance competitions, earning her black belt in taekwondo, and currently playing snare drum in her middle school band — and she does it all without using her hands.
“It was definitely a learning curve, but over time it got easier and easier until it wasn't hard at all,” Aubrey said.
Aubrey was born as a triple amputee, missing both limbs below the elbows and one toe.
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Her coworkers may have finished their work faster, but Aubrey wasn't going to let anything get in her way. “It's just a part of me. It doesn't make me who I am.”
But Aubrey said sometimes that's all people can see.
The teasing and bullying began, mostly on social media. Aubrey's grades began to slip and the feelings were unbearable, she said.
But a support group of family and friends gave the bullying a new tone.
“People will ignore whatever you say, so you have to learn to ignore them. Remember, that's probably what's going on inside of them, so they're trying to take their anger and upset out on you.”
For Aubrey, music is a place where she can feel and express a full range of emotions.
But the performance came with some challenges. “It was a little difficult because the sticks would start to slip,” Aubrey explained.
SEE ALSO: Tennessee Tech students create prosthetic limbs for 12-year-old drummer
At the urging of her middle school band teacher, Aubrey had a unique prosthetic limb made especially for her by students in Tennessee Tech University's Tech Engineering for Kids program.
“She plays drums, but does she play mallets? Does she play xylophone? Things like that. So, does she need a different handle? How do we make it stick securely in her hand? All of these are questions we're thinking about,” said Zachary Henson, a mechanical engineering student at Tennessee Tech University.
After three to four weeks of planning, the 10 students decided to create the prosthetic limbs using only 3D printers.
“They said, 'No, no, we're going to 3-D print the final product,'” says Steven Canfield, a professor of mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech University. “That's when I said the infamous line: 'There's a one in a million chance that it's going to work.' But I said, 'Well, give it a try.'”
The process involved measuring, multiple prosthetic designs, and trial and error.
“It was definitely a trusting the process type of thing,” Aubrey said.
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Prosthetic limbs have changed from being rigid to being perforated to allow for better ventilation.
“We just printed it over and over again. Each print took 24 hours just to make sure we could do this,” engineering student Branson Blaylock said.
After a full semester, the prosthetic finally fit.
“We just sat there and thought, wow, we accomplished this,” Blaylock said.
The final product was durable, flexible and tunable, but most importantly, it delivered the sound Aubrey was looking for.
“The quality of her sound was much better, and we also designed the 'wrist' of her arm to be flexible so she could produce a paradiddle-type sound,” engineering student Micah Page said.
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Aubrey thanked the Tennessee Tech students for the effort they put into the project: “They were very enthusiastic and determined to make this a success.”
Not only did Aubrey hold the drumsticks tightly and produce sound, but she also taught her students tempo that will help them in the future.
Aubrey told News 2 she had a message for anyone who needs to hear: “Don't give up even if it seems hard.”
