Hand transplant patient’s recovery
Emily Fennell, 26, became the first person in California to undergo a hand transplant in March. Now, six weeks after the 14-hour operation at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, she spends about eight hours a day working on learning how to move her new hand and fingers. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Therapist Renee Portenier tests Fennell’s grip during an exercise in which she tries to pick up nickel-sized disks between her thumb and index finger. All the muscles and tendons in Fennell’s right forearm are weak from years of inactivity and must be strengthened before she can begin to truly take command of her new hand. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Emily Fennell, 26, who lost her right hand in a car accident in 2006, grasps a jack during a physical therapy session six weeks after transplant surgery. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Dr. Kodi Azari, surgical director of UCLA’s hand transplant program, and therapist Julie To watch as Fennell performs a task during her post-transplant therapy. “You can see this amazing determination in her,” Azari said. “That, to me, is the most important characteristic.” (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Fennell picks up chess pieces in an exercise to improve her dexterity. She has no sensation yet in the transplanted hand. The nerves grow about one millimeter a day from the connections the surgeons made to her arm, and it will be several more months before sensations develop. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
