Meet this 45-year-old painter from Delhi, India who received two new hands from an organ donor. Doctors say his case is the first successful bilateral hand transplant.
Surgical Excellence
In a 12-hour surgery, doctors performed the first successful bilateral hand transplant. After a train accident in 2020, the painter lost both of his hands. The surgery involved connecting every artery, muscle, tendon, and nerve between the recipient’s arms and the donor’s hands.
Changing Lives
If it wasn’t for the doctors, the 45-year-old man would have to live the rest of his life without hands. But, the only way the doctors could perform the surgery is if they had a matching donor. Luckily, Meena Mehta came to the man’s rescue. Unfortunately, Mehta was declared brain dead but pledged her organs to be used after her death. Not only did Mehta’s hands change the painter’s life for the better but her organs changed the life of three others. Besides her hands, Mehta’s kidney, liver, and cornea went to the three other patients.
The group of Delhi doctors released the recipient from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on March 7. Thanks to the surgical staff and Ms. Metha’s mission to change lives, the painter can one day pick up a paintbrush and continue his work.
