Faridabad: Twinkle Dogra, who had lost her hands 13 years ago, recently underwent a successful hand transplant at Amrita Hospital. She expressed her gratitude towards the donor and the medical team.
Twinkle initially visited AIIMS Rishikesh, where her guide, Jaya Chaturvedi, informed her that hand transplants are performed at Amrita Hospital. Following this, she came in contact with Dr. Mohit Sharma at Amrita Hospital, who examined her and confirmed that a transplant was possible. She was registered for the procedure.
On December 30, 2024, Twinkle received a call from Amrita Hospital informing her that a suitable donor had been found. Without delay, she travelled from Rishikesh to Amrita Hospital with her kin. Upon arrival, several tests were conducted, and she was informed that she would receive the hands of an elderly woman.
Dr. Mohit Sharma, head of the plastic and reconstructive surgery department of Amrita Hospital, told ETV Bharat, "Twinkle Dogra had an accident. After which she lost both her hands and had a lot of problems with her leg. Although her legs were cured, we were waiting for a hand donor. Twinkle Dogra has been in touch with us for four years. Meanwhile, we found a 76-year-old female donor, who died due to a brain haemorrhage. Her family decided to donate the organs."
Her surgery lasted 12 hours and was successfully completed. Now, her wounds have healed, and she has started to regain sensation in her hands.
Dr Mohit Sharma added, "First of all, we matched the blood group of the elderly woman with Twinkle Dogra's blood group and it matched perfectly. After this, we called Twinkle Dogra to Amrita Hospital and after about 12 hours of surgery and multiple tests, the operation was successful. It was quite challenging for us. Now Twinkle Dogra's hand has started moving. However, it will take time to complete recovery. So far, we have transplanted organs in 18 people, which is a record in itself."
Senior surgeon of plastic surgery, Dr Anil Murarka, said that surgery is done with a lot of preparation. "This surgery was quite challenging because there was a lot of difference in the blood vessels of both of them," quipped Dr Murarka.
Twinkle, a resident of Uttarakhand, said, "After a long time, my legs were cured and I started walking on my own feet, but I did not have hands. For about 13 years, I was troubled not only physically but also mentally as I had to depend on others for everything."
She had gone to the roof to dry clothes. There were high-tension electricity wires above her roof which were covered by the boundary wall. When she held the rack to dry clothes, the rack slipped and got stuck to the high-tension electricity wire and Twinkle's hands and feet were completely injured in this mishap. "I am glad that my hands are back now,” she added and thanked the doctors. Twinkle and the doctor appealed to people to donate organs.
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