Boy Undergoes Double Hand Transplant

A heart-warming story of a young boy, who underwent a double hand transplant has gone viral.

Zion Harvey has achieved miraculous results in just 18 months, following the transplant, learning how to write and taking part in sports. The surgery has change his life completely, following the eleven hour surgical procedure, in 2015.

Previous to the surgery, the lad could do very little for himself. He was asked at the time, what he wanted to be able to do, after the surgery was complete and he responded with "Climb monkey bars and grip a baseball bat", whilst his mother wanted to see him dress himself and brush his teeth without the aid of others.

The eight-year-old was the first person to undergo a double hand transplant. The operation took place in Philadelphia in the United States in 2015. Four highly trained medical teams were involved in the procedure, once a suitable donor had been found.

Following the successful operation Zion had to undergo therapy, often in the form of playing video games, to test his skills using his new fingers and thumbs. He had to learn to write and use a knife and fork for the first time in his life.

Soon, he was using scissors, feeding himself and was swinging that baseball bat.

But Zion's story doesn't stop there. He had by the age of two, had a kidney transplant, which was required after a life-threatening infection. As a result of this infection, he had to have his hands and feet amputated.

It has been a tough start for the young man but hopefully Zion can go on and lead a happy and successful life.

Source: Metro UK