GOT AN ARM TRANSPLANT
GOT AN ARM TRANSPLANT In September 2016, when she was just 18 years old, Shreya Siddanagowda suffered a serious traffic accident while travelling in a bus. Although he survived, the medical care took too long to come and, as a result, he had to amputate both arms, just above the elbow. Moments after the accident, Shreya visited Amrita Hospital in Kochi city to enroll in the arm transplant program. Fortunately for her, a matching donor appeared in a short while. Sachin — a 20-year-old — had been declared brain dead following an accident in his vehicle. Her parents agreed to donate their organs. However, her arms were visibly different from Shreya’s: larger, darker-skinned, and abundant hair. The physical differences were evident, and doctors warned that the risk of rejection was very high. On August 9, 2017, a team of 20 surgeons and 16 anesthesiologists worked for 13 straight hours in an unprecedented operation. It was the first double elbow arm transplant in all of Asia, and also the ...