The eight-year-old boy from Baltimore who received a double hand transplant was released from the hospital on Wednesday, Aug. 26, and is now recuperating at home.
Zion Harvey made history when he became the first child to successfully undergo hand transplant surgery at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia early in July.
While such medical procedures are uncommon, since transplants often require immune suppression for the rest of the patient's life, doctors cleared Harvey for the surgery because he was already receiving antirejection medication.
He first started taking the drugs after he underwent a kidney transplant with an organ from his mother when he was four years old.
Harvey's rare medical condition was the result of a severe blood infection that he contracted when he was only two years. He survived the life-threatening illness, but it left him with his hands and feet amputated and his kidneys seriously damaged.
Philadelphia's children's hospital did not allow Harvey's doctors and family members to be interviewed on Wednesday, but the hospital released the latest video and photos of the young boy.
The new video shows Harvey undergoing music therapy and other activities using his new hands, though his wrists still appear to be swollen beneath their bandages. Similar to an earlier video, the young boy is shown to be in good spirits despite experiencing several physical traumas related to his surgery.
Pattie Ray, Harvey's mother, said the challenges that her son is facing are new, but he will be able to overcome them through his determination. She said that it is merely one more hurdle that Harvey is ready to triumph over.
The double hand transplant required two teams of surgeons to attend to the donor hands, while two other teams attended to Harvey. The surgeons had to reattach the bones on Harvey's hands then proceeded to attach his veins and arteries. They then worked on connecting his tendons and muscles as well as his nerves and skin.
The entire procedure lasted for 11 hours, after which Harvey was moved to intensive care for a week. He was then transferred to a medical unit before progressing to the hospital's rehabilitation department.
Harvey underwent daily rehabilitation for his physical and occupational functions in order to learn how to use his new hands. His doctors require him to undergo outpatient therapy for two more years as his reattached nerves continue to regenerate.
