What is a hand transplant?
If a person loses one or both of their hands due to an accident or illness, most often they have to go through life without their hands. But sometimes, they get the option of getting a hand transplant.
They get this option if a person nearby has become brain-dead and their organs and body parts are available for donation.
Why are hand transplants extremely difficult?
Hand transplants are one of the most difficult transplant surgeries in the world. Only a hundred and thirty of them have been done to date. That’s because our hands are very complex body parts.
Why was Steven Gallagher’s hand transplant a rare case?
Steven Gallagher is a forty-eight-year-old man from the United Kingdom (UK) who was struck with a rare disease called scleroderma many years ago. It made his skin tighten and harden until his hands curled into fists permanently. The disease ruined his hands and caused him constant pain. Gallagher went in for a double hand transplant (getting both hands transplanted) because the pain was making his life very difficult. He also hoped to get some use of his hands back. Doctors had never before attempted a hand transplant on someone with scleroderma before. This disease made the already complicated hand transplant surgery even more difficult.
The operation lasted twelve hours and was a success.
Can Steven Gallagher use his hands fully now?
Nope. But, let’s focus on the big victories of the operation:
1. The pain in his hands is completely gone.
2. Gallagher can do small tasks with his hands, like petting his dog and drinking a glass of water.
3. After some more therapy and treatment, Gallagher will be able to take up some kind of job in the future.
Pulling off a hand transplant on someone with scleroderma was a huge win for the doctors. It gives great hope to others out there suffering like Gallagher.
