Back in the swing
Joy of lad who had double hand transplant He now plays sport and can dress himself
AFTER losing his hands and feet aged two, Zion Harvey dreamed of being able to grip a baseball bat again – and now he can.
He was the first child to undergo a double hand transplant.
Eighteen months after the surgery, 10-year-old Zion is now able to write, feed and dress himself.
And he can throw and whack a baseball just as he had hoped.
Medics have revealed the ups and downs Zion has faced since the op – including treatment to combat his body frequently rejecting the hands.
Dr Sandra Amaral said: “Eighteen months after the surgery, the child is more independent and able to complete day-to-day activities.
“He continues to improve as he undergoes daily therapy to increase his hand function, and psychosocial support to help deal with the ongoing demands of his surgery.”
KIDNEY
The study by medics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where Zion had the 10-hour op, was published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal.
The lad, from Baltimore in the US state of Maryland, lost his hands and feet to life-threatening sepsis that also led to a kidney transplant. The organ was donated by his mum.
Because he was taking drugs to stop his body rejecting the kidney, doctors said he was a perfect candidate for another type of transplant.
He had the pioneering surgery – using hands from a dead patient – in 2015 when he was eight.
Within days, he was able to move his fingers. Regrowth of the nerves meant he could move the transplanted hand muscles and sense touch within six months.
Zion, who gets about on prosthetic legs, said last year: “When I got my hands, it’s like, here’s the piece of my life that was missing. Now my life is complete.”
He is more independent and able to complete day-to-day activities DR SANDRA AMARAL ON THE BOY’S IMPROVEMENT