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Zion Harvey lost his hands and feet when he contracted a life-threatening infection when he was two. The disease caused organ failure and led his doctors to amputate his extremities.
Over the next six years, Zion learned to carry out his life without hands, but relearned how to walk after being fitted with prosthetic legs. He would ride a bicycle around the hospital, take walks, and play soccer with the nurses in his physical therapy training sessions.
In 2015, when Zion was eight years old, his doctors told him there were donor hands available for him to receive in double hand transplant surgery.
For ten hours, a team of surgeons from three different countries worked together to attach Zion’s new hands to his arms. They installed plates inside the wrists and ensured that the new appendages would grow proportionally with Zion’s body. Extra skin grafts were taken from both the donor and Zion, just in case future procedures were needed.
Although previous double hand transplant surgeries were wildly unsuccessful – one patient even regretted doing the procedure – Zion’s surgery was the exact opposite.
His doctors commended his resilience and maturity in attending physical therapy sessions every day and for communicating well with all the adults around him. Zion made incredible progress in picking up toys, moving his fingers, and scratching his nose.
Eight months after the operation, Zion returned to the hospital for a checkup. His doctors, just as they had been just one month after surgery, were amazed with Zion’s progress.
He was now able to put on all of his clothes, make himself lunch, fix himself a snack – all without having to depend on anyone.
In spite of all his doctors’ compliments, however, Zion doesn’t think of himself as different, or impressive. “The only thing that’s different [after surgery] is instead of no hands,” Zion said, “I have two hands. I’m still the same kid everybody knew without hands.”
Watch the video The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia put together of Zion. His final line in the footage shows just how much of an inspiration he is: “If any kid is watching this right now… Never give up on what you’re doing. You’ll get there eventually.”
