The former Marine became the first person in the UK to have an arm transplant. According to experts, the team of doctors who performed the pioneering surgery has made a breakthrough in medicine.
Mark Cahill lived two decades in pain, and a future awaited him in which even the simplest tasks would be impossible. But six months ago, there was hope in the life of the former infantryman - the transplanted arm began to function.
Now, six months later, for which the former soldier was ready to surrender more than once, he finally feels confident enough to raise his thumb up. Mark can already not only bring himself tea, but also walk hand in hand with his beloved grandchildren.
Now a retiree living in West Yorkshire happily shakes hands with his neighbors when he meets. This everyday gesture, which the man could not perform for so long, also brings him great joy.
In recent years, the 52-year-old brand has had a very difficult time. Because of gout, his left arm almost lost its mobility, so his faithful wife Sylvia buttoned the man's shirts. Now the couple are holding hands like young lovers, "only because we can," the woman explains, although both are well aware that this hand is someone else's. They have no idea who the donor was.
17-year-old Mark Cahill in 1978 while serving
Promotional video:
“I still often sit and look at my hand in amazement. I can not believe this. But it's a part of me - my hand, my life,”says Kahhill.
The transplant performed at General Leeds Hospital was unique in that the man's own arm was removed during the same procedure. During the eight-hour operation, a team of doctors, led by plastic surgeon Professor Simon Kay, tied bones, tendons, nerves, arteries and veins together.
At the initial stage, the result was not impressive, as bruises and scars appeared, and the fingers of an unfamiliar hand did not want to obey.
“The doctors said that when the swelling subsided, the skin would be the same color as mine, and I would not be able to distinguish it from the real one. My nails and hair grow, but of course, she will never truly be mine. On top of that, it is smaller than the left one and has different fingerprints, but these differences do not make this event any less incredible, said the former Marine.