Double-Hand Transplant Recipient Making Excellent Progress
Watching this hand transplant recipient mow the lawn will make you think twice before complaining about your chores.
Photograph by Michael Warren
For almost 10 years, Richard Mangino got dressed, played piano, and painted using a prosthesis that looked almost like a hook used to scare children on Halloween. He lost his lower arms and legs from a blood infection and had to teach himself tasks like shoveling snow and picking up change on the floor. In our Top Docs issue last December, we reported on Mangino, who had just received a double-hand transplant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. One year later, he can now swim with his grandkids, mow the lawn and play guitar. Check him out in action in this video from the Globe.
“It’s not trying to regain anything,” Mangino says in the video. “It’s about trying to enjoy everyday, no matter what position you are in.”
