Thanks to the exceptional surgical skills of a group of surgeons in Delhi and the organ donation pledge of a lady who changed four lives, a painter who lost both hands in a horrific accident is about to pick up his brush once more.
Tomorrow, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital will release the 45-year-old patient, whose case is the first successful double hand transplant in Delhi. In a train accident in 2020, he had lost both of his hands. He was at a loss for what to do because he came from a poor household.
However, miracles happen. The 45-year-old was saved by the hands of Meena Mehta, the former head of administration of a well-known school in South Delhi who was pronounced brain dead. During her life, Ms. Mehta had promised that her organs would be utilized after her death.
Three other people's life have been changed by her kidney, liver, and corneas. And after a devastating setback, her hands have given a painter new hope.
But this would not have been possible without the hard work of the team of doctors that pulled off the Himalayan task.
The procedure, which lasted over 12 hours, involves joining the recipient's arms to the donor's hands in every way possible, including muscles, tendons, and arteries. Dedication paid off, and the climax came at the end when the group of medical professionals stood for a photo and the painter who received his hands back gave a double thumbs up.
