Luis Felix has a new arm — and with it a new hope for the future.

The 17-year-old lost his left arm in a motorcycle crash more than a year ago in Mexico, but can now give up the oversized sweatshirts he wore to hide the void.

Earlier this week, he received an $8,000 prosthetic arm, and with practice will soon be able to use it to grab pencils and hold on to cutlery.

“He can be a normal kid,” said his aunt Maria Felix in Spanish.

The arm is courtesy of Odyssey Prosthetics of San Bernardino, which provided the arm at cost with money raised through the International Medical Alliance of Rancho Mirage.

Luis moved in with his aunt and uncle in Thermal soon after the crash because he couldn't bear to face his friends from Sinaloa without an arm.

He now looks forward to playing soccer and pursuing his dream of becoming an attorney.

“I'm so thrilled,” said Ines Allen, president and founder of the nonprofit International Medical Alliance. “His whole attitude will change. He's smiling more. He looks happier.”

Over the course of two weeks, $9,339 was raised through community donations to purchase the $8,000 arm.

The difference went into an educational account to help Luis pay for college.

After a series of office visits with Robert Openshaw, a prosthetist and alliance volunteer, Luis took his arm home Tuesday.

The teen, often timid and introverted since the crash, opened up a bit as he awaited his arm.

“I'm just really happy to have this arm,” he said in Spanish. “I want to be able to use (it) well.”

He said he's grateful to all the people who donated money and thinks the arm will help him feel more secure about himself.

Openshaw agrees.

Having a prosthetic in place of a missing arm or leg provides self-confidence, he said.

“He'll feel like not everyone is staring at him,” Openshaw said.

The original goal was to raise $7,500 to pay for a basic prosthetic, but Luis received an upgrade because even more money was raised.

“He got something a little more advanced because of the donations,” said Openshaw.

It took him 30 hours to build the custom-fitted prosthetic.

The arm has a small motor and runs on lithium batteries, and attaches to Luis via a harness.

With each forward pull of his right shoulder, the prosthetic is able to go through a series of motions.

It can move up and down at the elbow and the hand can open and close.

Luis thinks he'll get the hang of operating it fairly quickly.

The learning curve is similar to riding a bike or operating a remote control, said Openshaw's brother, Mike Openshaw, who is also a prosthetist and helped on the arm.

“Probably a week and he'll be better,” he said.

Luis' new arm comes with a skin-colored cosmetic rubber “hand” that can be changed out with a more functional “terminal device” or hook that will allow him to pick up objects as small as a needle.

Luis said he had been anticipating that day.

“I can do more things. I'll be more sure of myself,” he said.

Xochitl Peña covers Indio and Coachella for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at 360-1340 or at Xochitl.Pena@thedesertsun.com.