Eight-year-old Zion Harvey got a new set of hands last week. The Owings Mills resident became the first child to receive a “bilateral hand transplant,” meaning both hands were amputated.
Harvey had his hands and feet amputated as the result of an infection, and had prosthetic hands. He received new hands and forearms from a donor in the operation, and told doctors he’s looking forward to being able to throw a football.
The operation was performed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), which was also the site of the first such transplant on an adult. A 40-member team spent months planning the operation. For the operation, they were divided into four teams, two focusing on Harvey’s existing limbs, and two focusing on the transplant.
