--- title: Zion's Story | TIME description: canonical: https://time.com/video/4XQrnOzu/ og:title: Zion's Story og:description: og:url: https://time.com/video/4XQrnOzu/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/4XQrnOzu/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Zion's Story twitter:description: twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/4XQrnOzu/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Zion's Story > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Zion's Story [Watch (HLS stream): Zion's Story](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4XQrnOzu.m3u8) (13:03)  _Published 2015-07-27_ --- Jul 27, 2023 6:35 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [The Story of Vans](/video/EeAF2p0L/) ### The Story of Vans [Zion's Story - First Bilateral Hand Transplant in a Child](/video/WjIh5WvU/) ### Zion's Story - First Bilateral Hand Transplant in a Child [Story of Seasons - Launch Trailer](/video/ml3Rpmw3/) ### Story of Seasons - Launch Trailer --- ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] We have some good news for you. [ MUSIC ] Close up, far away. Close up, far away. Call Zoe, Zion. Zoe. Close up. Come on. Hello. Come on. [ NOISE ] I wasn't always like this. When I was two, I had to get my hands cut off because I was sick. [ MUSIC ] I don't know what a child's hand looks like. It could be this color, or this color. I don't know. [ MUSIC ] [ UNKNOWN ] make your muscle. Over here, let me see how strong you are. We have followed Zion for probably about a year and a half now and done extensive evaluations to see if he was a good candidate for hand transplant. When I get these hands, I will be proud of what hands I get. I'll be I will be, too. You're going to get new hands. Are you excited? And if it gets messed up- It's not going to get messed up. Are you excited? I don't care because I have my family. [ MUSIC ] As far as we know it's never been even attempted in a child. One of the things that's unique about Zion is that he already had [ UNKNOWN ] transplants. So he's on medication for rejection. And so essentially we could piggyback off of that same medication. Our concerns about doing these hand transplants in anybody is that once you do it, the patient has to stay on lifelong medications so they don't reject. And those medications increase the risk of infection, and they also increase your risk of having some cancer develop later on in life. And so for a child that's a very, very difficult decision. Stand up straight. Let me see your arm. Now I want you to make a fist for me, make a fist. Good, relax. When I met Zion, I said why do you want hands. Zion why do want hands? He's a very, very intelligent young man. He said I want to swing on the monkey bars. My Grandmother says I'm smarter then a lot of grown ups. I'm really smarter then a lot of grown ups. You know, it's sort of a milestone for a lot of kids. And why shouldn't he be like another child, and you know our hope is over time that indeed he'll be able to do that. There. And that's a TV camera. He wants to know if he's on TV. This is like another hurdle that he jumps. How can I? There is no [ CROSSTALK ] He jumps so many hurdles. He's so amazing. This isn't the first amazing thing that he's done. He's been doing amazing things. Since he's been sick. I don't know many adults that could handle half of his life on a day to day basis. [ LAUGH ] Like sometimes, I just think some of my classmates, they don't mean to say mean things to me. But it just slips out. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] So, either somebody says something to me and then I just figure it slipped out and they didn't mean to say it. Everybody has their own way of thinking things. [ MUSIC ] Each year there are only fifteen children, based on the data basis that would even be eligible to donate Hands. And then it comes down to the organ procurement organizations approaching families at a terrible time, the loss of a child. We should stop and think about that. So the fact that he was put on the waiting list for hands In April and three months later, this came along that in it of itself is a remarkable story. [ MUSIC ] Krissy called me and she's like okay we have a match. I'm like stop playing Krissy. She's like no I'm serious . >> We have about 12 surgeons and a whole bevy of nurses. At least 8 nurses circling in and out. And then a team of anesthesiologists, I think at least three or four of them that's be working throughout the night, so it's a large team. There's an expression in surgery. Preparation is the only shortcut you need. And particularly in surgery and in highly complex operations, You know, we prepare. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] So we're about to get started [ UNKNOWN ] has just come into the room and they're about to put intravenous lines in and get ready for the surgery. We'll prepare the donor limbs and recipient sites, and then do the actual transplantation. So expect to be here all night, but hopefully, at the end, we'll have two hands on two arms. Okay, hi. Good to see you, Dr. Murphy. How are you, you ready? Good. [ INAUDIBLE ] We've rehearsed We know our steps, we know each other. We know what we have to do today. I think everybody assembled here has communicated to this patient. And making this reality for this little boy. We can have complications. We can fail. We can have troubles but we're not planning on it. So everybody is familiar with their particular role. And I just want to say in advance that we will do our best and we're all here together. [ MUSIC ] This is a new arena of reconstructive surgery. It's a new arena in transplant surgery. This gives new hope, not only to the adults, but particularly children. There are ethical issues and questions about the implications for that, but that deceased child's hands and expression, if you will, will live on in Zion, and that's a pretty profound thing when you think about it. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] In the beginning of the operation, we actually had four teams operating at the same time. And each of them had specific things they were supposed to do. So they had to find all the structures, put pre- made tags down for every structure that we would have to repair And they would have to sew those on to the nerves, blood vessels, tendons, etc. [ MUSIC ] It's one thing to sew adult vessels which in and out themself are small and it requires a kind of skill But the highest echelons of reconstructive micro- surgery take place in children. Small children. And my colleagues who participate in the micro- vascular aspects of the care are just the best in the world. [ MUSIC ] Think now the blade goes here, so we're gonna have to cut this really short. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Blood is going across the hook up here. And you can see the hand right here is starting to pink up. You see the capillary refill. So you see that? See it's white when I touch it and then it pinks up. and now that's starting to get out to the level of the fingers. How's my baby? [ UNKNOWN ] is doing great. He's doing well. We just came out to give you an update. Yeah. Thank you. So, we've gone through a lot so far. You know we broke this thing down into four different parts. And we're on this last part here. So at this point, the hands have already been attached. So the bones are back together. And Dr. Leven and the other micro Our surgeons on working at putting the arteries and veins together. So We wanted to really make sure that this was going to work for our patient and work for a lifetime, not just a year. For us this is really not just a technical exercise. It's really trying to restore a better level of lifetime function for these patients. [ MUSIC ] I think all of you who know about microsurgery, and all of you do know that we're not out of the woods and this is sort of just the first step. And we have to be very vigilant. And we have a whole protocol on how to take care of this little guy. But from the bottom of my heart, thanks. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] We have some good news for you. Your little guy has two hands. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ MUSIC ] Hi, Zion. And so what might we say about Zion Harvey? In 10 years or 15 years, what might we say about this? I hope he's the first of literally hundreds or thousands of patients that are gonna be afforded This operation. [ MUSIC ] Alright. Okay up, up, up, up. Nice! [ LAUGH ] It's all you. Don't let me get it. Don't let him take it. Don't let me get it. Tug of war. [ LAUGH ] He's in no better place than with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to make sure he gets through this and does well. Me and Zoe want to I want a puppy. [ LAUGH ] Where's the puppy gonna live? My room! Where else? 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