Dr Richard Edwards scratches his face with one of his new
hands during a news conference at Jewish Hospital, in
Louisville. (AP Photo/The Courier Journal, Michael Hayman)
The recipient of a rare double hand transplant says he
feels "fantastic" and can wiggle fingers on both his new hands.
Richard Edwards made his first appearance on Thursday, about
a week after he underwent a nearly 18-hour transplant
procedure at a hospital in Louisville.
The 55-year-old chiropractor from Edmond, Oklahoma, had his
hands severely burned in a fire in 2006.
Edwards was the country's third double hand transplant
recipient. The surgery was performed at Jewish Hospital, the
site of the world's first successful hand transplant in 1999.
Doctors say Edwards' progress is ahead of other patients
because they were able to route his existing nerves into the
donor hands.
Edwards lost seven fingers after his accident but retained
most of his original hands, though they were badly burned.
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