A man whose hands remained unusable due to a rare disease received new life after what is considered to be the world’s first double arm transplant for this condition.
Stephen Gallagher, 48, has been diagnosed with scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that causes scarring of the skin and internal organs after he developed an unusual rash about 13 years ago.
Areas including his nose, mouth and hands were affected, and about seven years ago his fingers began to twist until they were in a fist position and he was suffering from “terrible” pain.
When experts proposed the idea of a double arm transplant, the father of three initially rejected the idea, but then decided to continue despite the risks.
He told the PA news agency: “My wife and I talked about it and agreed to do it. I could have lost my hands anyway, so it was just a matter of telling them I would go with it. “
Mr. Gallagher of Dreghorn in North Ayrshire had to undergo a psychological assessment to ensure he was prepared for the prospect of a transplant.
He then underwent a 12-hour operation in mid-December 2021 after a suitable donor was found.
The hand transplant team at Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, which performed the operation, said that for the first time in the world, hand transplantation is being used to replace hands terminally affected by scleroderma.
Mr Gallagher said: “I woke up after the operation and it was quite surreal because I had my hands before, and then when I woke up from the operation I still had my hands, so I never lost any hands in my head.
“These hands are amazing, it all happened so fast. From the moment I woke up from the operation, I could move them.”
He added: “It has given me new life. I still find things difficult at the moment, but things are getting better every week with physiotherapists and occupational therapists, everything is just slowly improving.
“The pain is the big thing. The pain before the operation was terrible, I was on so many painkillers that it was amazing, but now I don’t have any pain.”
Mr. Gallagher spent about four weeks at Leeds General Hospital after the operation and regularly visits Glasgow hospitals for physiotherapy and monitoring.
More than five months after the operation, his condition has improved and although he cannot perform tasks that require great dexterity, such as pushing buttons, he can do things like petting his dog, turn on the tap and fill a glass of water.
The 48-year-old worked as a potter and was appointed assistant contract manager, but had to stop working due to his condition.
Now he hopes to return to some work after his hands have improved enough, and is very grateful to the person and family of the donor who made the transplant possible.
The operation involved a 30-member team of professionals from many disciplines.
Professor Simon Kay of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Having a hand transplant is very different from a kidney or other organ transplant, because hands are something we see every day and use in so many ways.
“For this reason, we and our expert clinical psychologists evaluate and prepare patients to ensure that they will be able to cope psychologically with the constant reminder of their transplant and the risk that the body may reject the transplanted arms.
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