Boy, 8, has world's first child double hand transplant
Zion Harvey, who had his hands and feet amputated at a young age, received donor hands and forearms in a 10-hour operation in the US; his doctors performed same surgery on adult in 2011
Zion Harvey, who had his hands and feet amputated due to a severe infection as a young boy, has always dreamt of throwing a football. It looks like his wish will finally come true.
Zion, eight, was the recipient of the world’s first bilateral hand transplant on a child earlier this month. A 40-member multidisciplinary medical team from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine successfully transplanted donor hands and forearms onto Zion after a 10-hour operation.
"This surgery was the result of years of training, followed by months of planning and preparation by a remarkable team," says Dr Scott Levin, chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Penn Medicine and director of the Hand Transplantation Programme at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who led the team.
"The success of Penn's first bilateral hand transplant on an adult, performed in 2011, gave us a foundation to adapt the intricate techniques and coordinated plans required to perform this type of complex procedure on a child."
A happy and outgoing child, Zion adapted well to life without hands, learning to eat, write and even play video games. He figured out ways to perform most of the activities other kids his age can do. Zion received prosthetics for his feet and is able to walk, run and jump with complete independence.
A suitable hand and forearm donor was found through the Gift of Life Donor Programme, a non-profit organ and tissue donor programme which partners transplant centres in the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.