Key Points:
- A 45 year old painter had gotten into a train accident in 2020 and unfortunately lost both of his upper limbs has his arms revived after a Bilateral Hand Transplant.
- Four years later his situation was salvaged by the generosity of a deceased woman (formerly an Administrative Head at a reputed school in South Delhi) who had pledged her body parts including her limbs for donation.
- A team of meticulously hard-working surgeons in Delhi had performed a 12-hour long surgery on the man making it the first ever successful Bilateral Hand Transplant to be performed in Delhi.
Overview
The man has been reportedly recovering well after six months of admission at the hospital and is about to be discharged on Thursday, 7th March.
A painter who had lost both of his hands to an unfortunate train accident in 2020 is about to paint again after receiving a new pair of upper limbs from a donation by a woman who had pledged for her organs to be donated and used following her death. Thanks to this miraculous surgical excellence by a group of Delhi doctors and Meena Mehta’s posthumous organ donations, this becomes the first successful bilateral hand transplant surgery performed in Delhi.
Coming from an underprivileged family, Raj Kumar a 45 year old man was crossing the railway tracks near his house who had lost his hope after having lost both of his arms to a tragic train accident on his way of crossing has been graced with the gift of Meena’s hands and is expected to be discharged from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on 7th March 2024 after recovering for six weeks at hospital after the conclusion of the over-12 hours long surgery.
According to Times Now, Meena Mehta who was the Admin. Head, of New Greenfields School, Kalkajiin South Delhi pledged her organs to be donated after her demise with her family’s consent, to help those in need. Her kidney, liver and corneas that were donated transformed the lives of three other people as a gift of a new life, while her arms came in to revive a painter’s dreams.
Delhi’s First Bilateral Hand Transplant
Accredited to- Surgical Excellence by Delhi Doctors
Meena Mehta who was already declared brain-dead, came to the rescue miraculously with her donor hands.
But this task would not have been possible with the group of Delhi doctors and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
The Bilateral Hand Transplant surgery process took more than 12 hours and involved connecting every artery, muscle, tendon and nerve between the recipient’s arms and the donor’s hands. By the dedicated team of surgeons led by Dr. Mahesh Mangal who collaborated tirelessly to execute this intricate procedure by delicately reattaching various components, including bones, arteries, tendons, muscles, veins, nerves and skin, the surgery was commenced after 12 hours of tireless procedure. surgical experience revived the painter’s dream after the trauma of losing both of his hands.
Before/After Undergoing Bilateral Hand Transplant
According to pictures shared by official Twitter account of DD News of before and after with the caption “Delhi’s first successful bilateral hand transplant in Ganga Ram hospital” we can contently conclude that the surgery has been totally successful as the man had been recovering well and is to be discharged soon from the hospital.
The patient will however remain on immunosuppressants throughout his life as required after a life altering surgery.
The story of Raj Kumar and the generosity of the late Meena truly has been a terrific story of resilience, courage and humanity, the one that always reminds us to stay strong and positive in our worst of times as well as be grateful to generosity of the known and unknown.
