First Child With Double Hand Transplant Throws the First Ball

Medical Celia Hoffman
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First pitch at the baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers was the opportunity for an exciting moment. A 9-year-old boy has captured the public attention after making the first pitch, a year after he underwent a double transplant of hands.

All fans from Camden Yards were watching Zion Harvey, the first child who suffered such a transplant. The first medical operation lasted ten hours and was carried out by a multidisciplinary team of 40 people at the pediatric hospital in Philadelphia in July 2015. The two hands and forearms were transplanted from one donor.

The boy was chosen for this double graft because of his special medical condition “The kidney transplantation after an infection has made him a good candidate for a graft because he was already taking medications to prevent the rejection of the new organ,” said Dr. Benjamin Chang , co-director of the hand transplant program at Children’s hospital of Philadelphia.

After the recovery work submitted to physical therapy, the boy surprised the whole world with his determination.

In the video posted on the team’s official Baltimore Orioles site, we can see how Zion waves his hand before throwing in front of player Adam Jones, who congratulated him for the pitch.

An infection that put his live at risk has led to the amputation of his hands and legs since the age of 2. Zion currently walks with prostheses and learned to adapt to daily activities such as writing, eating or video games, but his dream was to be able to throw a ball.