A Maryland boy who lost both his hands to an infection while a toddler became the youngest patient to receive a successful double hand transplant, surgeons announced Tuesday.
Surgeons at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia told a news conference they operated on Zion Harvey for nearly 11 hours earlier this month. A 40-person team used steel plates and screws to attach the old and new bones. Surgeons then painstakingly reconnected Zion's arteries, veins, muscles, tendons and nerves.

Zion, of Owings Mills, Md., contracted sepsis at age 2. The resulting multiple organ failure forced the amputation of his hands and feet; by age 4, he needed a kidney transplant, receiving the organ from his mother.
Leg prosthetics have allowed Zion to be very active, including walking, running and jumping. He learned to use his forearms to write, eat and play video games and has been attending school. Physicians hope he'll now be able to achieve more milestones, including his goals of throwing a football and playing on the monkey bars.

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