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History has been made – the first pediatric double hand transplant has been performed. Zion Harvey developed a bacterial infection when he was 2 years old. The infection caused him to lose both his hands and feet. Harvey, now 8 years old, has made history as the youngest recipient of a double hand transplant.
An Ideal Candidate
Losing his hands and feet did not damper Harvey’s spirits growing up. He uses prosthetic legs to walk and he is incredibly active with his friends; he runs, jumps, and plays with them. He managed to learn how to perform everyday tasks without having hands – he used his forearms to write, eat, and play video games. In addition to losing his hands and feet, Harvey also had to get a kidney transplant. A person needs to take drugs that suppress the immune system to make sure the body does not reject the new hands. Since Harvey was already taking the drugs for his kidney transplant, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia decided he was the perfect candidate for the historic operation.
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A Painstaking Operation
The procedure took a team comprised of 40 people, 12 of them were surgeons. The surgical team used steel plates and screws to connect the child’s old and new bones. Then came the difficult part: they had to carefully use a steel plate to attach the old bones to the new ones. Surgeons then painstakingly reattached his arteries, nerves, muscles, tendons and veins. The whole operation took almost 11 hours and it was ultimately successful. This is a big step for the future of this surgery. The operation will be followed up with several weeks of physical therapy to build dexterity in his hands. Soon he will be able to pick up small objects.
It Was Worth It
Dr. L. Scott Levin reported that the boy woke up from the operation smiling and that he has not cried or complained at all. Harvey and the surgical team attended a news conference about the groundbreaking procedure. The boy’s forearms were covered with bandages, but he was too excited about his new hands to care. Once his hands work, he plans to throw a football, hold his baby sister, and play on the playground. He also hopes that he can get a dog; he promised his mother that he would take care of it. Harvey thanked his family for helping him through this bumpy road. “Family means trust hope support and if you fall down they always catch you,” he said. Harvey’s mother was incredibly proud of her son, stating that he is an amazing blessing. “For me it is a blessing,” she said. “I have been blessed with a son and an angel. He is my strength.”
SEE ALSO: A Sick Dad Surprised His Daughter And Walked Her Down The Aisle.
