
A
36-year-old man has undergone the world’s first successful head
transplant. The ground-breaking operation took a team of surgeons
nineteen hours to complete and has allowed the patient to be
cancer-free.
Paul
Horner, who was diagnosed with bone cancer five years ago, was on the
verge of death when he was approved for the controversial and possibly
deadly operation.
Doctor
Tom Downey, who was part of the South African team who carried out the
operation, told Gist Market sources he is thrilled about the results..

Downey spoke to reporters about the complexity behind the first ever head transplant.
“This
procedure is another excellent example of how medical research,
technical know-how and patient-centered care can be combined in the
quest to relieve human suffering.”

The operation was led by Professor Myron Danus and took place on February 10th of this year.
“Our
goal is for Horner to be fully functional in two years and so far we
are very pleased by his rapid recovery,” said Danus. “Before the
operation, Horner’s body was riddled with cancer and he had less than a
month to live. We were fortunate enough to find a donor body; a
21-year-old man who has been brain dead from a serious car accident that
happened in 2012. The boys body worked just fine, but his brain was not
functioning whatsoever, and there was absolutely no chance of
recovery.” Danus continued, “We received approval from the young man’s
parents to use their sons body to do the operation. They were extremely
happy their son could save a life even in the vegetated state that he
was in.”
Doctors say Horner has made an 85% recovery; walking, talking and doing the normal things a healthy individual does.
The
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, nicknamed Joburg Gen
is an accredited general hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg, Gauteng,
South Africa. It has 1,088 beds. The hospital’s professional and support
staff exceeds 4,000 people.
Even
though Horner lives in the United States, the first-of-its-kind
operation had to be done overseas in a location where the medical
guidelines are not as strict.
A
36-year-old man has undergone the world’s first successful head
transplant. The ground-breaking operation took a team of surgeons
nineteen hours to complete and has allowed the patient to be
cancer-free.
Paul
Horner, who was diagnosed with bone cancer five years ago, was on the
verge of death when he was approved for the controversial and possibly
deadly operation.
Doctor
Tom Downey, who was part of the South African team who carried out the
operation, told Gist Market sources he is thrilled about the results..
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