Mumbai: Monica More, who lost both her hands after falling from a local train, has now got her hands. Monica recently underwent hand transplant surgery. The surgery was successful and her condition is improving. She is currently in the ICU and it took her a year and a half to fully recover. The consultant plastic and reconstructive microsurgeon at Global Hospital who performed the surgery on her, Dr Nilesh Satbhai, gave this information.
In 2014, Monica fell while catching a local at Ghatkopar railway station. She had lost both her arms in the accident. She was then fitted with an artificial arm. However, the artificial arms did not allow her to do what she was told to do, and she did not become fully self-sufficient. So her family decided to opt for an arm transplant surgery, registered for it and started searching for arms.
Their search ended on August 26 with the family of the 32-year-old brain dead youth in Chennai agreeing to donate his arms. The hand was brought to Mumbai on the night of August 27 and after a staggering 15-hour surgery, a team of 12 doctors transplanted Monica's hand.
Dr Satbhai while talking about the procedure said, "The arm-transplant procedure was carried out on Monica More yesterday. At this point, Monica is recovering at the ICU of the hospital. To regain the movement of the hand, she will need exercise and physiotherapy. We will start it after four to six months. However, it will take her a year and a half to become fully self-sufficient."
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Meanwhile, when contacted, Monica's uncle Vishwas Jadhav said, "We received a call on August 26 for Monica's arm transplant. The hospital informed us that they have found a donor for us in Chennai. Our family was very happy on hearing this. We were trying very hard for this for the last two years. Global Hospital's efforts made it possible for us to carry out the surgery which went on for 15-16 hours." He also added that Monica has regained consciousness now and is able to talk.
"We are constantly in touch with her through video calls. The whole family and her friends are very happy with this development", he said.
