Former Boston University Professor Receives Double Arm Transplant

Through an anonymous donor at the New England Organ Bank, a former Boston University film professor has received a double arm transplant, according to Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).

Will Lautzenheiser, 40, addressed the media Tuesday, after becoming the youngest person ever to be approved for a double arm transplant. His nine hour surgery took place in October, after a life-threatening streptococcal infection made him a quadruple amputee in 2011.

“To have come here and to have received this gift is really astonishing to me, and it’s obviously life-changing,” Lautzenheiser, a former professor of film production and screenwriting at Boston University, said in a statement.

The family of the donor offered an anonymous statement that read: “Our son gave the best hugs, we pray that you make a wonderful recovery and that your loved ones will be able to enjoy your warm embrace.”

BWH doctors say that it may be years before Lautzenheiser can move his hands in “complex ways.”

“This is about it so far,” Lautzenheiser said in the statement, “but I had nothing, so even that is incredible.”

Below, a video of the press conference: