American boy Zion Harvey has made history by becoming the first ever child to receive a double-hand transplant.
He lost his hands and both feet due to an infectious disease when he was two years old.
The eight-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland, was operated on in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia by a team of 40 medical practitioners, led by Doctor L. Scott Levin.
“When I met Zion, I said to him – and I didn’t know what the response would be . ‘Why do you want hands?’ Eight-year-old, I’m figuring what kind of response would he give me? He said ‘I want to climb on the monkey bars,’” he told a packed hall.
Against the odds, a donor was found quickly and doctors have hailed the operation as a medical breakthrough. Only a dozen or so potential donors become available every year. It’s hoped Zion will be able to use his hands in eight months – the time it will take for the nerves in his fingers to regenerate.
Zion, who is believed to be the youngest person ever to have rece
