WEBVTT

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- You want to take
a deep breath in.

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Okay, you can breathe.

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- So, this is the donor.

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Excellent appearing extremities,

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because he really
hasn\'t been ill

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for a prolonged period of time.

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Given the number of
preformed antibodies

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that Will has, we think this
is about as good as it\'s ever

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gonna get for him.

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But everybody feels comfortable
moving ahead with this.

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- These arms aren\'t
gonna look the same

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when I wake up.

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The last couple of years
I\'ve been interacting

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with almost everything
either with my elbow

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or with this little dog-ear.

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And that\'s gonna be gone.

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There\'s gonna be a hand.

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- Please put your hands together

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and welcome to the stage
Will Lautzenheiser.

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- When people first see me,

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I think they are wondering,
\"What happened to him?\"

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And to keep people
on their toes,

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mainly because I can\'t keep
myself on my toes anymore,

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I try to come up with
different answers,

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depending on who\'s asking.

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So, if a child comes
up to me and says,

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\"What happened to you?\"

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I say, \"I didn\'t
listen to my parents.\"

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Sometimes, I feel like I want
to embellish what happened

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just to make it interesting
for me.

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So I say, \"This arm was bitten off
by a shark when I was surfing.\"

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\"This leg I got stuck
in an elevator door.\"

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\"This arm I had to eat off that
time I was stuck in a mine.\"

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\"And this leg I lost when I
went back to kick the ass\"

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\"of the shark that
bit my arm off.\"

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You have no idea how hard
it is to find a shark\'s ass.

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At the same time I was
getting ready for my move,

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I also began to feel
a cramp in my leg.

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I didn\'t really think
anything of that at the time.

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I taught my first two classes.

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These kids were so enthusiastic.

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I could tell it was gonna
be a great semester.

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Unfortunately, the second day,

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the pain in my leg
was excruciating.

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I had no inkling that anything

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really tragic was
about to happen.

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The doctor said, \"We really
don\'t know what\'s going

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\"on with you, but it
doesn\'t sound like a cramp,

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\"a muscle pull, or
something like that.

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\"It sounds like an infection,
and we have to do these tests.\"

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And I had this battery
of tests pretty quickly.

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- At that point the
record starts skipping

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off of the reality track
into surreal mode.

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- By night, I had essentially
total organ failure.

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- My twin brother,

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to see him so transformed, was

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completely a nightmare.

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I remember they took
the ventilation tube

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out of Will\'s throat, and,

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basically, the first thing he
asked me was, \"What happened?\"

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And I had to explain this
was septic shock caused

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by a group A strep infection,

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and it\'s caused this damage.

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Basically, the picture
that emerged was that

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in order to save his
life he would have

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to lose some parts of his limbs.

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- When I woke up, I just said,

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\"I want to live, I want to live,

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\"I want to live, I want
to live, I want to live.\"

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I don\'t know what
I would have done

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throughout the process
if you hadn\'t been there.

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I\'m not sure I would
have said, \"I want to live,\"

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if you hadn\'t been there.

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- I found myself imagining
what it would be like

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to not have hands.

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Your hands, if anything,
were finer than my hands.

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Every time I use my hands,
in the last several months,

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I\'ve thought, \"I\'m grateful,
and I\'m sorry for your loss.\"

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- My right hand had a mole
on it, and yours doesn\'t.

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So, that would be a... Oh, my gosh.

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You do have a mole
on your right hand.

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That\'s something I didn\'t know.
Look at that.

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- I suppose we should

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talk about getting married
in the first place.

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- That would help.

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- This is Old South Church in Boston.

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We got married in 1969.

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And I was born in 1915.

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So, you can figure
out how old I was.

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Not too young.

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- We didn\'t know I
was having twins.

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A young doctor came and told me.

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He said, \"Mrs. Lautzenheiser,
you had twin boys.\"

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I said, \"What?\"

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There\'s a certain bond.

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- They\'re still very close.
- Yes.

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- When my brother Tom
and I were growing up

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we always used to play together.

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As we were getting a little
older, it kind of became clear

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that although we are identical,

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we also, of course, had different
personalities or interests.

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My brother tended to
explore the natural world,

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but I often stayed at
home and preferred a book.

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I like to think that he has
so much of the outward energy,

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and I might have directed
my energy more inward.

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I was about eight
when I determined

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that I wanted to be a filmmaker.

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I just remember thinking,

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\"I wonder how all of this would look
filmed.

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\"If I had a camera,
where would I put it?\"

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That type of
imagination persisted

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throughout my childhood.

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I wasn\'t so much interested
in narrative directly,

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but how we can put together
a collage where you

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may not be able
to exactly express

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why you\'re feeling the
way you\'re feeling,

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or what the images are doing,

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or even to recognize what
the images really are.

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For a long time, I was
photographing every cigarette butt

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that I saw on the sidewalk,
and all these different colors

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and textures formed
the environment

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of this one little blight.

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I began to come up with an
alternative history about them.

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It\'s narrated like a
nature documentary.

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They commonly die,
and remain to be seen

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in sidewalk crevices
and by curb stones.

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I\'ve also recorded sound.

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I was a camera assistant
on many projects.

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It is such a privilege
to be on a film set.

00:08:15.286 --> 00:08:18.372
Scene 45 Pick Up,
Flatulation. Take 1.

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Scene 129, Kill, Kill. Take 1.

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Scene 88, Fatidical. Take 1.

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- That\'s too cute.

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Are you trying to
point the camera at me?

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- Maybe.

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- That\'s not necessary.

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I\'m always fumbling.

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So you want your pants off?

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- Yeah, I gotta do it.

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- I\'ve been alone
for most of my life,

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just because I feel like I\'ve
never really quite connected,

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in one way or another,
with someone else.

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When Will and I started to
chat, it was like, okay,

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someone I can talk to

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who is at my level of thinking.

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He has a great way of being.

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His mind is fun
to interact with.

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I\'m trying to get a nice establishment
of sweet woodruff here.

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It needs a little help.

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Plants have a way of being.

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Trying to figure that out
is kind of fun for me.

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Playing marriage counselor
to some clients sometimes

00:09:53.551 --> 00:09:57.179
is interesting too,

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because she\'ll want one color
and he\'ll want another,

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but that\'s neither
here nor there.

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It\'s very nice.

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I do good work sometimes.

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My life before this, if I
wanted to just go to New York

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or go wherever for the weekend,

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I could have somebody
water my plants.

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It\'s not the same now.

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He\'s got family, but
they\'re not really capable.

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So, I guess I was his boyfriend,

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and then after he got
sick I was his partner.

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It was a little bit of a, like,
\"Okay, is this what I\'m doing?

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\"Okay, maybe yes.\"

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\"I\'m okay with that.\"

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\"Yes, we\'re fine.\"

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But,

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I moved in with him

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because, basically, he would
have nobody else to help him.

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So, in some ways we\'re
kind of stuck with each other,

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whether we like it or not.

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I guess it\'s kind of
like having a kid,

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where you\'re like, well,
I can\'t do anything now

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but take care of this kid,
except it\'s not a kid.

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- Okay.

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- Good job.

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- Let\'s see about this.

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Today, I am making
brownies from a boxed mix.

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Which, of course, is nothing
that I would do in real life.

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I would make brownies
from scratch.

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Now, you have to watch
this very carefully.

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This is the year of
reduced expectations,

00:12:49.936 --> 00:12:52.270
resorting to a boxed mix.

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It\'s not okay.

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Betty Crocker, eat
your heart out.

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- Oh, my goodness.

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- Unbelievable. I can\'t
believe that I hit it.

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It\'s a totally
altered state for me.

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It\'s a totally
different way of being.

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It\'s going to take every
bit of energy I have

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in order to try to get back

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to what I would
like to be doing.

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Before my amputations,
I never owned a car.

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So, I always walked.

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I\'d walk to work and back.

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I\'d walk all around
the neighborhood.

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Maybe, on average,
about five miles a day.

00:14:11.142 --> 00:14:14.311
And now, of course, walking
is going to be very difficult.

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When I do walk, it\'s going to
be more of a balancing act.

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- Ready?
- Yes.

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- Here we go.

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One, really rock.

00:14:24.447 --> 00:14:25.614
Two.
- Two,

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three.

00:14:27.366 --> 00:14:28.408
- Good.

00:14:28.409 --> 00:14:29.285
I think you\'re gonna...

00:14:29.285 --> 00:14:29.994
- No.

00:14:29.994 --> 00:14:30.994
- Okay, sit.

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- My foot has rotated some, too.

00:14:36.417 --> 00:14:37.210
- Ready, Will?

00:14:37.210 --> 00:14:38.210
- Yeah.

00:14:39.003 --> 00:14:39.921
- We could put it back on

00:14:39.922 --> 00:14:42.339
and see what happens again.

00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:44.216
Patients will come in and
say, \"I wanna get up.\"

00:14:44.217 --> 00:14:46.468
\"I wanna get walking,\"
where we have

00:14:46.469 --> 00:14:47.552
to go back to the basics.

00:14:47.553 --> 00:14:49.262
Your whole center of
gravity has changed

00:14:49.263 --> 00:14:51.098
after an amputation.

00:14:51.099 --> 00:14:53.600
- Three.

00:14:53.601 --> 00:14:55.143
Whoa.

00:14:55.144 --> 00:14:58.396
- My brain right now doesn\'t
even conceive of being up

00:14:58.397 --> 00:15:02.527
and saying, \"Okay, now I\'m
gonna take a step with this.\"

00:15:04.112 --> 00:15:06.613
- When you\'re walking you
really do use your arms,

00:15:06.614 --> 00:15:08.448
and they help you to balance.

00:15:08.449 --> 00:15:10.450
When your arms are amputated
it\'s more difficult

00:15:10.451 --> 00:15:13.453
and it is also scary.
Because if you go to fall,

00:15:13.454 --> 00:15:15.288
you put out your
arms immediately.

00:15:15.289 --> 00:15:17.457
It\'s a natural reflex
to break your fall.

00:15:17.458 --> 00:15:19.584
But someone like
Will can\'t do that.

00:15:19.585 --> 00:15:20.585
- Three.

00:15:21.754 --> 00:15:23.380
- Okay.

00:15:23.381 --> 00:15:25.465
- You guys really aren\'t
holding me though, right?

00:15:25.466 --> 00:15:26.675
- No.

00:15:26.676 --> 00:15:27.468
- This is perfect.

00:15:27.469 --> 00:15:28.802
- Ta-da.

00:15:28.803 --> 00:15:29.720
Wait, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait.

00:15:29.721 --> 00:15:32.515
So, you guys, do that again.

00:15:33.599 --> 00:15:34.433
- You\'re standing.

00:15:34.434 --> 00:15:35.726
- I\'m standing.

00:15:37.436 --> 00:15:38.478
- You\'re gonna try dancing?

00:15:38.479 --> 00:15:40.397
- And take a step.

00:15:40.398 --> 00:15:42.440
- Perfect.
- Good job, Will.

00:15:42.441 --> 00:15:43.525
- Thumbs up.

00:15:43.526 --> 00:15:44.318
- Yay!

00:15:44.319 --> 00:15:45.902
- Not bad for your first day.

00:15:45.903 --> 00:15:47.947
- That\'s my thumbs up sign,
by the way.

00:15:51.117 --> 00:15:53.869
There are some advantages,
really, to being amputated.

00:15:53.870 --> 00:15:55.996
One of the best things is
that I no longer have to wash

00:15:55.997 --> 00:15:57.874
my hands after I pee.

00:15:59.917 --> 00:16:01.585
It\'s really great,

00:16:01.586 --> 00:16:04.004
because I can have unusual
Facebook profile pictures,

00:16:04.005 --> 00:16:05.256
like this one.

00:16:08.509 --> 00:16:11.220
Not that many
people can do that.

00:16:13.222 --> 00:16:15.725
It\'s got 37 likes
so far and counting.

00:16:17.310 --> 00:16:20.980
There are some downsides, of
course, to being amputated.

00:16:21.647 --> 00:16:23.648
I can\'t masturbate.

00:16:23.649 --> 00:16:25.985
I always have to ask
someone else to lend a hand.

00:16:29.530 --> 00:16:33.910
Maybe that\'s actually the best
part about being amputated.

00:16:34.243 --> 00:16:37.996
What really happened to me
is I got toxic shock syndrome

00:16:37.997 --> 00:16:40.332
from a group A strep infection

00:16:40.333 --> 00:16:43.376
that went haywire
and killed my limbs.

00:16:43.377 --> 00:16:45.629
And that\'s not really funny.

00:16:45.630 --> 00:16:48.256
But I always thought,

00:16:48.257 --> 00:16:50.592
before all of this happened,
that toxic shock syndrome

00:16:50.593 --> 00:16:53.428
was something that you
could only get from wearing

00:16:53.429 --> 00:16:55.848
certain tampons. That\'s
not how I got it.

00:16:57.642 --> 00:17:00.727
In fact, the doctors are
having a hard time describing

00:17:00.728 --> 00:17:02.020
exactly what happened to me.

00:17:02.021 --> 00:17:03.897
They have a word for
that which is, \"idiopathic.\"

00:17:03.898 --> 00:17:05.482
It\'s a technical term.

00:17:05.483 --> 00:17:09.403
It means, \"We have no idea what
the heck happened to you.\"

00:17:10.738 --> 00:17:12.322
The extent that I\'ve been
able to hold myself together

00:17:12.323 --> 00:17:16.202
has been through humor,
really kind of gallows humor

00:17:16.702 --> 00:17:18.370
or dark humor.

00:17:18.371 --> 00:17:21.748
I think that that\'s a healthy
way of trying to deal with it.

00:17:21.749 --> 00:17:26.044
Because, otherwise, one would
just be probably sitting

00:17:26.045 --> 00:17:30.715
in a corner weeping, which
isn\'t really good for me,

00:17:30.716 --> 00:17:34.302
and it\'s not really good for
anyone around me, either.

00:17:34.303 --> 00:17:35.971
So, a lot of people are saying

00:17:35.972 --> 00:17:37.389
maybe I should write a memoir,

00:17:37.390 --> 00:17:39.641
because it could be
really inspirational.

00:17:39.642 --> 00:17:42.560
I look back to certain books,

00:17:42.561 --> 00:17:44.938
and maybe there\'s a title
there that I could reference.

00:17:44.939 --> 00:17:48.109
I think I might call the
memoir, \"A Farewell to Arms

00:17:49.902 --> 00:17:50.902
\"and Legs.\"

00:17:51.904 --> 00:17:54.407
That\'s it, everyone.
Thanks very much.

00:18:00.997 --> 00:18:02.956
Thanks, Rob.

00:18:02.957 --> 00:18:05.584
- Give it up for Will.

00:18:18.597 --> 00:18:20.724
- Is it still sticky?

00:18:20.725 --> 00:18:22.309
- Yeah, it\'s still sticky.

00:18:22.310 --> 00:18:24.602
- I guess add some
more flour then.

00:18:24.603 --> 00:18:25.812
- One tablespoon?

00:18:25.813 --> 00:18:26.814
- No, a few.

00:18:33.195 --> 00:18:35.030
It\'s gonna need a lot
more flour than that.

00:18:35.031 --> 00:18:36.323
You can tell already.

00:18:36.324 --> 00:18:37.824
- So, why do you wait
for me to put this?

00:18:37.825 --> 00:18:39.034
- Just add a quarter cup.

00:18:39.035 --> 00:18:39.869
Grab one of these

00:18:39.870 --> 00:18:41.745
and just add some.

00:18:41.746 --> 00:18:42.787
- That\'s a third.

00:18:42.788 --> 00:18:45.332
- That\'s a third,
but that\'s okay.

00:18:45.333 --> 00:18:47.334
You don\'t have to fill
it all the way up.

00:18:47.335 --> 00:18:48.752
- Well.

00:18:48.753 --> 00:18:50.129
What if I do this?

00:18:53.841 --> 00:18:55.509
- What are you doing?

00:19:00.097 --> 00:19:03.850
I used to be really
fiercely independent.

00:19:03.851 --> 00:19:05.643
- It\'s a little better.

00:19:05.644 --> 00:19:06.853
- Great.

00:19:06.854 --> 00:19:10.482
Now I have to micromanage everyone else,

00:19:10.483 --> 00:19:13.526
or try not to
micromanage everyone else

00:19:13.527 --> 00:19:15.737
in doing things for me.

00:19:15.738 --> 00:19:17.864
I think this dough
is really nice.

00:19:17.865 --> 00:19:21.493
It\'s not really sticky,
and it\'s kinda satiny.

00:19:21.494 --> 00:19:23.078
It\'s really beautiful.

00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:26.956
Everything falls onto
my partner, Angel.

00:19:26.957 --> 00:19:29.793
And he has to take up the
slack for all the stuff

00:19:29.794 --> 00:19:33.213
that I can\'t do. And that\'s
a lot for one person.

00:19:33.214 --> 00:19:35.298
Are you trying to make
it into a rectangle?

00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:36.841
- I don\'t know. I want it to be

00:19:36.842 --> 00:19:39.803
like a rustic, ugly pizza.

00:19:39.804 --> 00:19:40.929
- Why?

00:19:40.930 --> 00:19:41.847
- You know.

00:19:41.847 --> 00:19:42.765
I\'m letting the dough tell me

00:19:42.766 --> 00:19:44.265
which shape it wants to be.

00:19:44.266 --> 00:19:46.894
- You\'re crazy.

00:19:49.730 --> 00:19:53.025
I feel like I make
too many demands,

00:19:54.402 --> 00:19:56.779
because it almost doesn\'t stop.

00:19:57.530 --> 00:20:00.198
Made by a person who
doesn\'t know circles.

00:20:00.199 --> 00:20:02.618
- You\'re being a jerk again.

00:20:05.913 --> 00:20:08.081
You get into arguments
about things,

00:20:08.082 --> 00:20:10.917
and I don\'t know how
many times he\'s kicked me

00:20:10.918 --> 00:20:12.961
out of the house.

00:20:12.962 --> 00:20:16.381
I ignore him.

00:20:16.382 --> 00:20:18.550
Because I know he
doesn\'t mean it.

00:20:18.551 --> 00:20:21.803
As difficult as it is for
me to sort of sit there

00:20:21.804 --> 00:20:24.013
and take it, I kind of
understand that it\'s part

00:20:24.014 --> 00:20:27.226
of the process, and
he\'s gotta grieve.

00:20:29.228 --> 00:20:33.441
As long as he doesn\'t stay
there, then I\'m fine with that.

00:20:34.525 --> 00:20:36.151
And we need to
figure out how to get

00:20:36.152 --> 00:20:40.364
to a more sustainable
lifestyle, for me especially.

00:20:43.534 --> 00:20:45.160
- It\'s a hard way for me to be,

00:20:45.161 --> 00:20:48.539
especially because I still feel
in myself to be independent,

00:20:50.416 --> 00:20:52.960
and I have to
realize that I\'m not.

00:20:54.253 --> 00:20:56.754
- That\'s how I lose my fingers.

00:20:56.755 --> 00:21:00.134
We\'d become the
reality show, \"Amputee Family.\"

00:21:24.492 --> 00:21:26.451
- NewsCenter 5 has
learned exclusively

00:21:26.452 --> 00:21:28.661
doctors at Brigham and
Women\'s Hospital have done

00:21:28.662 --> 00:21:32.207
their first successful
double-hand transplant

00:21:32.208 --> 00:21:34.417
on a 65-year-old
Revere man.

00:21:34.418 --> 00:21:37.254
- Mr. Mangino came
to us with a dream

00:21:37.922 --> 00:21:39.631
to once again have arms,

00:21:39.632 --> 00:21:41.466
to have hands,

00:21:41.467 --> 00:21:43.010
to sense touch.

00:21:44.345 --> 00:21:47.472
And this team of pioneers
has done everything possible

00:21:47.473 --> 00:21:50.893
to help Mr. Mangino
achieve this dream.

00:21:54.104 --> 00:21:56.731
- That\'s unbelievable.

00:21:56.732 --> 00:21:59.235
Unbelievable, back and forth
in the pool the first time.

00:22:08.744 --> 00:22:10.370
- I was in the hospital

00:22:10.371 --> 00:22:14.583
when Richard Mangino had
his arm transplant surgery.

00:22:16.460 --> 00:22:20.338
And people sent articles
to me that came out,

00:22:20.339 --> 00:22:24.968
asking whether this would
be a possibility for me also

00:22:24.969 --> 00:22:26.386
to get arm transplants.

00:22:26.387 --> 00:22:27.971
And at the time, I thought

00:22:27.972 --> 00:22:30.266
that\'s just not gonna happen.

00:22:31.934 --> 00:22:33.977
I was still in the ICU.

00:22:33.978 --> 00:22:36.187
I was still a mess.

00:22:36.188 --> 00:22:37.939
My skin hadn\'t healed.

00:22:37.940 --> 00:22:41.944
It needed a couple of hours
of wound care every day.

00:22:43.320 --> 00:22:46.656
Seven months or so
after my amputations,

00:22:46.657 --> 00:22:50.869
I met a plastic surgeon,
and this surgeon said,

00:22:52.121 --> 00:22:54.080
\"I had dinner with
a friend last night.\"

00:22:54.081 --> 00:22:55.873
\"He\'d like to talk with you.\"

00:22:55.874 --> 00:22:58.418
And I said, \"Okay,
who\'s your friend?\"

00:22:58.419 --> 00:23:01.963
And he said, \"It\'s Bohdan
Pomahac. He\'s in charge

00:23:01.964 --> 00:23:05.508
\"of the face and
arm transplant team

00:23:05.509 --> 00:23:09.262
\"at Brigham and Women\'s, and
we can try to arrange a meeting,

00:23:09.263 --> 00:23:13.266
\"and see whether this would be
a possibility for you.\"

00:23:13.267 --> 00:23:17.646
Well, I felt like I was
knocked over sideways.

00:23:18.647 --> 00:23:21.190
- Thank you very much.
It\'s really a pleasure to be here.

00:23:21.191 --> 00:23:24.277
What I want to share with you
today is a story of Dallas,

00:23:24.278 --> 00:23:25.737
a young man from Texas.

00:23:25.738 --> 00:23:28.072
Here he is playing with
his two-year-old daughter,

00:23:28.073 --> 00:23:30.283
and the next thing
he knows is this,

00:23:30.284 --> 00:23:33.745
four months later, after
coma and multiple operations.

00:23:33.746 --> 00:23:35.371
The surgeon did a terrific job.

00:23:35.372 --> 00:23:37.832
He saved his life, but the
patient has no eyelids,

00:23:37.833 --> 00:23:42.046
no nose, no lips. He cannot
kiss his daughter or smile.

00:23:43.297 --> 00:23:44.631
Conventional techniques
generally include using

00:23:44.632 --> 00:23:46.633
the patient\'s own body and
replace what\'s missing

00:23:46.634 --> 00:23:49.677
with something that
you can spare, ideally.

00:23:49.678 --> 00:23:51.929
In some cases, like
face or missing arms,

00:23:51.930 --> 00:23:53.222
there\'s just nothing.

00:23:53.223 --> 00:23:55.767
It seemed that it was
worthwhile exploring

00:23:55.768 --> 00:23:57.602
alternative avenues
that would give

00:23:57.603 --> 00:24:00.397
our patients something more.

00:24:09.156 --> 00:24:12.825
The fantasy that one could
donate a part of the body

00:24:12.826 --> 00:24:15.245
to someone else is very old.

00:24:15.746 --> 00:24:18.247
- It\'s moving.

00:24:18.248 --> 00:24:20.333
It\'s alive! It\'s alive! It\'s alive!

00:24:20.334 --> 00:24:24.545
Our imagination has,
in many ways,

00:24:24.546 --> 00:24:28.634
predicted or forecasted what may be
coming in the future.

00:24:31.679 --> 00:24:34.222
Back then, they had no
technical feasibilities

00:24:34.223 --> 00:24:37.266
to make it happen, but they
certainly depicted something

00:24:37.267 --> 00:24:41.480
that people were hoping, perhaps,
one day will be feasible.

00:24:43.482 --> 00:24:47.694
Every war brings major
medical improvement,

00:24:47.695 --> 00:24:50.614
development and breakthrough.

00:24:55.494 --> 00:24:57.578
Somewhat parallel to
that was evolution

00:24:57.579 --> 00:25:00.790
of transplantation itself,
coincidentally started

00:25:00.791 --> 00:25:04.837
by a plastic surgeon who was
interested in treating burns.

00:25:11.760 --> 00:25:14.470
- In my World War II
experiences,

00:25:14.471 --> 00:25:18.684
when we used skin from dead
persons to cover burns,

00:25:20.018 --> 00:25:24.231
we knew that the skin
would eventually melt away.

00:25:25.441 --> 00:25:28.109
Whereas if his own
skin had been used,

00:25:28.110 --> 00:25:31.320
the skin would have
permanently survived.

00:25:31.321 --> 00:25:34.657
And I wondered how the
body could be so smart

00:25:34.658 --> 00:25:37.744
as to distinguish
between a piece of skin

00:25:37.745 --> 00:25:40.581
which to you and me
would look the same.

00:25:47.921 --> 00:25:51.884
- He went to kidney as a
model of transplantation,

00:25:54.136 --> 00:25:56.596
because you could monitor
certain markers in the blood

00:25:56.597 --> 00:25:59.682
that gave you early signs
of decline of the function

00:25:59.683 --> 00:26:01.602
and therefore
signs of rejection.

00:26:05.105 --> 00:26:06.856
- And one day, John
Merrill called and said,

00:26:06.857 --> 00:26:08.065
\"Joe, you\'ll never
guess.\"

00:26:08.066 --> 00:26:09.859
He said, \"We\'re
getting a patient in.

00:26:09.860 --> 00:26:11.402
\"They\'re dying of
kidney disease,

00:26:11.403 --> 00:26:15.031
\"and there\'s an identical twin
who is a possible donor.\"

00:26:15.032 --> 00:26:17.909
We were excited because we
had everything ready to go,

00:26:17.910 --> 00:26:20.870
except the
immunological barrier,

00:26:20.871 --> 00:26:22.205
and there\'s no
immunological barrier

00:26:22.206 --> 00:26:23.707
between identical twins.

00:26:58.784 --> 00:27:02.495
- I was wondering if you
ran into any ethical issues

00:27:02.496 --> 00:27:04.163
during facial
transplantation and a lot

00:27:04.164 --> 00:27:06.666
of the work you\'ve done.

00:27:06.667 --> 00:27:07.959
- I wouldn\'t know
where to start.

00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:11.587
There are so many ethical
issues from the fundamental idea

00:27:11.588 --> 00:27:14.632
of whether this
is even something

00:27:14.633 --> 00:27:16.050
that we should do for patients,

00:27:16.051 --> 00:27:19.470
to subject them to life
on immunosuppression

00:27:19.471 --> 00:27:21.347
for non-life-saving organ.

00:27:21.348 --> 00:27:25.561
That was probably the
biggest ethical dilemma.

00:27:26.395 --> 00:27:27.687
The next frontier is gonna be,

00:27:27.688 --> 00:27:31.148
can we push that limit
a little farther should

00:27:31.149 --> 00:27:33.609
the immunosuppression not
be as much of an issue.

00:27:33.610 --> 00:27:36.153
And that\'s, I think, what\'s
holding our field back,

00:27:36.154 --> 00:27:38.823
because it has to be
something truly dramatic,

00:27:38.824 --> 00:27:42.994
life-changing, life-altering and disabling,

00:27:42.995 --> 00:27:46.289
so that we could say and feel
comfortable ourselves

00:27:46.290 --> 00:27:48.916
that yes, this is worth
it for the patient,

00:27:48.917 --> 00:27:51.794
because he\'s regaining
arms when he had nothing.

00:27:51.795 --> 00:27:54.505
He\'s regaining face
when they had nothing,

00:27:54.506 --> 00:27:57.133
when they were not able
to go out in public.

00:27:57.134 --> 00:27:59.802
- We\'re gonna witness
a miracle right now.

00:27:59.803 --> 00:28:02.138
A devastating accident
burned Dallas Wiens\'s face off,

00:28:02.139 --> 00:28:04.891
but thanks to a donor, the
young father is the recipient

00:28:04.892 --> 00:28:08.854
of the first full-face
transplant here in the U.S.

00:28:10.022 --> 00:28:11.355
- This face transplant
will allow Dallas,

00:28:11.356 --> 00:28:13.357
who by all accounts
is a devoted father,

00:28:13.358 --> 00:28:16.445
to more fully participate
in Scarlett\'s life.

00:28:17.362 --> 00:28:18.614
That\'s a true gift.

00:28:20.616 --> 00:28:23.910
- I could have lived like I was.

00:28:23.911 --> 00:28:26.580
- You could have
lived without a face?

00:28:40.552 --> 00:28:41.552
- Okay.

00:28:47.893 --> 00:28:49.770
And you can go back down.

00:28:52.105 --> 00:28:54.066
Yeah.

00:29:10.999 --> 00:29:13.292
Let\'s try that again.

00:29:13.293 --> 00:29:17.129
I was working at ImprovBoston,
and Will rolled in

00:29:17.130 --> 00:29:19.090
and did his bit.

00:29:19.091 --> 00:29:21.592
It was his first show,
and he was so good at it,

00:29:21.593 --> 00:29:25.054
just was comfortable in
front of an audience.

00:29:25.055 --> 00:29:26.222
That\'s how we met,

00:29:26.223 --> 00:29:28.474
and we started doing
comedy together.

00:29:28.475 --> 00:29:32.562
Basking in the sun, eating,
what else do cats do?

00:29:36.692 --> 00:29:37.692
Action.

00:29:38.735 --> 00:29:40.778
- Many people who are very funny

00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:44.908
spend years trying to
find their hook in comedy.

00:29:46.660 --> 00:29:49.955
And I really lucked
into having a hook.

00:29:58.171 --> 00:30:01.215
I\'m here to talk about
something a little serious,

00:30:01.216 --> 00:30:05.220
which is the issue of
disability and visibility.

00:30:06.555 --> 00:30:10.224
Every day when I go out, if
I see a kid on the sidewalk,

00:30:10.225 --> 00:30:14.438
as I go by, I hear, \"Mom,
that guy broke both his legs.\"

00:30:17.065 --> 00:30:20.192
And I often wanna say,
\"Don\'t you even notice

00:30:20.193 --> 00:30:22.320
\"that I don\'t have my arms too?\"

00:30:23.655 --> 00:30:26.282
One of the aspects of
being a disabled person

00:30:26.283 --> 00:30:30.161
is that you\'re kind of
either viewed as an object

00:30:30.162 --> 00:30:34.040
of pity or as an object
of inspiration, and ...

00:30:34.041 --> 00:30:38.253
- But, I treat him as
an object of annoyance.

00:30:38.628 --> 00:30:39.920
- Right.

00:30:39.921 --> 00:30:42.339
- Which you\'re not
supposed to treat people

00:30:42.340 --> 00:30:43.841
like him that way.

00:30:43.842 --> 00:30:45.301
- We thought instead
of just talking

00:30:45.302 --> 00:30:48.012
about this, we\'d have some
video of me in public.

00:30:48.013 --> 00:30:51.140
And you can actually see
this type of thing at work.

00:30:51.141 --> 00:30:53.350
There\'s this mermaid,
obviously mocking me.

00:30:53.351 --> 00:30:54.978
I couldn\'t even look at her.

00:30:56.188 --> 00:30:58.355
- The mermaid was just
promoting a show.

00:30:58.356 --> 00:30:59.398
She wasn\'t taunting you.

00:30:59.399 --> 00:31:02.234
- Okay, so, I kinda
went after that mermaid.

00:31:02.235 --> 00:31:04.654
And I told her to
grow a pair of legs.

00:31:09.326 --> 00:31:10.659
She got the police involved.

00:31:10.660 --> 00:31:13.412
He, believe it or not, said,
\"Please keep your hands

00:31:13.413 --> 00:31:14.831
\"where I can see them.\"

00:31:17.209 --> 00:31:18.709
- He escaped from the handcuffs.

00:31:18.710 --> 00:31:21.546
- The handcuffs just kept
falling off my stumps.

00:31:24.299 --> 00:31:27.009
There\'s a lot of stuff
that I have trouble doing.

00:31:27.010 --> 00:31:28.385
I need help with bathing,

00:31:28.386 --> 00:31:31.180
and I need help with
food preparation,

00:31:31.181 --> 00:31:33.891
and with laundry, and
other household tasks.

00:31:33.892 --> 00:31:37.019
I think you noticed that
we needed help around here,

00:31:37.020 --> 00:31:38.687
more than we had.

00:31:38.688 --> 00:31:42.441
- It was too obvious a
fit for me not to offer.

00:31:42.442 --> 00:31:43.859
So, I offered.

00:31:43.860 --> 00:31:45.820
They accepted.

00:31:45.821 --> 00:31:49.240
- Steve is one of my
personal care assistants.

00:31:49.241 --> 00:31:51.992
But because he\'s
also a comedian,

00:31:51.993 --> 00:31:54.286
I get to play around
with that a little bit.

00:31:54.287 --> 00:31:57.581
And at a show that I
hosted last summer,

00:31:57.582 --> 00:32:03.838
I got to say, \"Our next comedian,
not only is really funny, but

00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:07.466
\"he also washes my
scrotum twice a week.\"

00:32:07.467 --> 00:32:10.553
\"Please everyone
welcome Steve Delfino.\"

00:32:10.554 --> 00:32:11.887
Which, I don\'t know.

00:32:11.888 --> 00:32:14.473
I hope that doesn\'t
seem too demeaning.

00:32:14.474 --> 00:32:16.101
- That\'s my favorite intro ever.

00:32:21.565 --> 00:32:23.399
- What do you think?

00:32:23.400 --> 00:32:24.441
- Let\'s do it.

00:32:24.442 --> 00:32:25.484
There is no try.

00:32:25.485 --> 00:32:26.444
There is only do.

00:32:26.444 --> 00:32:27.444
- There is.

00:32:28.989 --> 00:32:31.615
And if you get up
and it\'s not working,

00:32:31.616 --> 00:32:32.409
you\'re sitting back down.

00:32:32.410 --> 00:32:33.534
- I sit back down.

00:32:33.535 --> 00:32:34.452
No worries.

00:32:34.453 --> 00:32:36.204
Here we go.
- It\'s right there.

00:32:45.088 --> 00:32:46.547
Beautiful.

00:32:46.548 --> 00:32:48.592
Now, you\'re centering.

00:32:56.808 --> 00:32:58.434
- Okay, I\'m gonna
try to take a step.

00:32:58.435 --> 00:32:59.852
Your shoulder is right there.

00:32:59.853 --> 00:33:01.103
- Mm-hmm.

00:33:01.104 --> 00:33:02.104
- Ready?

00:33:06.776 --> 00:33:07.986
My gosh.

00:33:47.651 --> 00:33:49.568
- Like that.
- Okay.

00:33:49.569 --> 00:33:51.570
- And then go ahead and kick back.

00:33:51.571 --> 00:33:52.781
And straighten.

00:34:45.834 --> 00:34:47.377
Good.

00:34:48.712 --> 00:34:52.381
- Soon after his limb loss,
I met Will to be evaluated

00:34:52.382 --> 00:34:55.884
for upper extremity
transplant surgery.

00:34:55.885 --> 00:34:58.053
There are a whole
battery of different tests

00:34:58.054 --> 00:35:00.055
to make sure that their
blood vessels are appropriate

00:35:00.056 --> 00:35:01.765
and that we know where they are

00:35:01.766 --> 00:35:03.726
to make sure that we know
what nerves they have

00:35:03.727 --> 00:35:06.021
and what we can connect up,

00:35:07.439 --> 00:35:09.148
and numerous other
medical tests to make sure

00:35:09.149 --> 00:35:10.733
that we\'re not gonna
run into problems

00:35:10.734 --> 00:35:14.945
when we start giving
somebody immunosuppression.

00:35:14.946 --> 00:35:16.822
We try not to amputate
further up the arm,

00:35:16.823 --> 00:35:19.116
so that on the chance that
they do lose their limb,

00:35:19.117 --> 00:35:22.077
either acutely, which is
sort of in the early stages

00:35:22.078 --> 00:35:23.954
from what\'s called
\"acute rejection\"

00:35:23.955 --> 00:35:27.958
or with chronic rejection,
where the vessels slowly,

00:35:27.959 --> 00:35:31.671
slowly fibrose up and we
have to remove the limb,

00:35:32.797 --> 00:35:33.797
we\'re not making
them anymore disabled

00:35:33.798 --> 00:35:34.798
than they were to start with.

00:35:34.799 --> 00:35:38.844
Obviously, that for
all of us is a tragedy.

00:35:38.845 --> 00:35:40.721
But we have to have it
in the back of our minds,

00:35:40.722 --> 00:35:43.223
because it\'s always
a possibility.

00:35:43.224 --> 00:35:45.184
Understanding all the
different risks is the key

00:35:45.185 --> 00:35:46.852
to being able to
determine whether

00:35:46.853 --> 00:35:48.729
or not you feel
comfortable with going

00:35:48.730 --> 00:35:51.232
through this kind of operation.

00:35:54.694 --> 00:35:56.987
- When a suitable
donor is identified,

00:35:56.988 --> 00:35:58.655
whose family has
expressed a willingness

00:35:58.656 --> 00:36:01.033
for that patient to
be an organ donor,

00:36:01.034 --> 00:36:02.368
the New England Organ Bank

00:36:02.369 --> 00:36:04.578
then evaluates the
patient initially,

00:36:04.579 --> 00:36:08.624
and then if that donor
meets certain criteria

00:36:08.625 --> 00:36:11.835
that are specific to Will,
they contact our program.

00:36:11.836 --> 00:36:14.421
- So, this is the one that
is clinical, not research,

00:36:14.422 --> 00:36:16.673
and we\'re just gonna
get going on these.

00:36:16.674 --> 00:36:19.051
- Alright.

00:36:19.052 --> 00:36:21.053
- And so literally, at the
New England Organ Bank,

00:36:21.054 --> 00:36:22.137
there\'s a list sitting there

00:36:22.138 --> 00:36:25.517
that now has Will\'s
name on it for arms.

00:36:28.812 --> 00:36:32.606
Transplantation is a lifelong
commitment to rehabilitation

00:36:32.607 --> 00:36:35.067
and to medication compliance.

00:36:35.068 --> 00:36:37.319
The ability for
someone to be grounded,

00:36:37.320 --> 00:36:39.446
and stable and,
actually, frankly,

00:36:39.447 --> 00:36:42.616
have a sense of humor about
things is incredibly important.

00:36:42.617 --> 00:36:44.828
So, Will really displays
all those things in spades.

00:36:47.205 --> 00:36:49.958
- This goes like that.

00:36:51.376 --> 00:36:52.168
How\'s that?

00:36:52.169 --> 00:36:53.752
- That\'s good.

00:36:53.753 --> 00:36:54.753
Okay.

00:36:57.006 --> 00:36:58.758
Aargh.

00:37:00.969 --> 00:37:02.052
- This way.

00:37:02.053 --> 00:37:04.179
- Yeah, I like that.

00:37:04.180 --> 00:37:06.974
- This is not a topic that
anybody else could joke about,

00:37:06.975 --> 00:37:10.436
but he can. And
he\'s using it as a humor

00:37:10.437 --> 00:37:12.939
that just breaks
down the barriers.

00:37:17.068 --> 00:37:19.027
- Will\'s comedy was one of
the things that helped him

00:37:19.028 --> 00:37:21.488
to get through a very
dark situation for him.

00:37:21.489 --> 00:37:24.575
It also allowed him to make a
connection with other people.

00:37:24.576 --> 00:37:26.535
Because when you
have a disability,

00:37:26.536 --> 00:37:28.120
people don\'t want
to talk about it.

00:37:28.121 --> 00:37:29.413
And if they do want
to talk about it,

00:37:29.414 --> 00:37:32.374
often they skirt
around the issues.

00:37:32.375 --> 00:37:35.377
Will\'s ability to take
humor to express himself

00:37:35.378 --> 00:37:38.213
and to make it okay to
talk about his disability

00:37:38.214 --> 00:37:41.175
was an incredibly liberating
experience for him.

00:37:41.176 --> 00:37:43.677
I think he also did an
incredible amount of good

00:37:43.678 --> 00:37:45.304
for the amputee community,

00:37:45.305 --> 00:37:47.682
because he brought
it out into the open.

00:37:52.145 --> 00:37:53.104
Sit, sit.

00:37:53.105 --> 00:37:54.856
Good girl. Stay.

00:37:55.315 --> 00:37:58.567
On a totally personal
level, I find it hilarious.

00:37:58.568 --> 00:38:02.529
I think his comedy is really
clever. It\'s very witty.

00:38:02.530 --> 00:38:04.239
And I love taking care of him,

00:38:04.240 --> 00:38:06.283
because he always comes
in with a new joke.

00:38:06.284 --> 00:38:09.204
- Raspberry syrup.

00:38:10.121 --> 00:38:10.914
- Oh, it\'s cold.

00:38:10.915 --> 00:38:13.333
- Is it too cold?

00:38:15.794 --> 00:38:17.044
We were gonna eat that.

00:38:17.045 --> 00:38:17.962
- I guess you\'re
not gonna eat it now.

00:38:17.963 --> 00:38:19.042
- Where\'s the black stuff?

00:38:55.625 --> 00:38:58.753
- I used to do so
much with my hands.

00:39:02.298 --> 00:39:05.259
I could play the violin.
I was a very good cook.

00:39:05.260 --> 00:39:06.594
I painted some.

00:39:07.804 --> 00:39:11.182
All these things came
to a pretty abrupt end.

00:39:18.273 --> 00:39:21.149
One of the things
that I\'m hoping for

00:39:21.150 --> 00:39:23.694
with getting the arm transplants

00:39:23.695 --> 00:39:27.991
is that I\'ll be able to
take back on, after a time,

00:39:28.408 --> 00:39:31.369
a lot of the things
that I\'ve lost.

00:39:32.328 --> 00:39:35.831
But as soon as I get the
arms, I will also have

00:39:35.832 --> 00:39:38.375
to go on
immunosuppressant drugs,

00:39:38.376 --> 00:39:41.169
which have potential
side effects:

00:39:41.170 --> 00:39:44.214
cancers, diabetes, heart disease

00:39:44.215 --> 00:39:46.593
and several chronic illnesses.

00:39:47.760 --> 00:39:51.221
Those are frightening prospects.

00:39:51.222 --> 00:39:54.434
I keep focused on
the positive things.

00:39:55.602 --> 00:39:58.812
I keep focused on
what I hope to gain.

00:39:58.813 --> 00:40:03.026
I can\'t wait to be able to
feel things with the arms,

00:40:03.901 --> 00:40:05.485
to be able to feel pressure,

00:40:05.486 --> 00:40:07.362
to maybe be able
to feel the wind,

00:40:07.363 --> 00:40:10.324
to be able to feel hot and cold.

00:40:10.325 --> 00:40:12.743
I\'ll be able to scratch
the back of my head.

00:40:12.744 --> 00:40:16.831
I\'ll be able to pull my shirt
down if it rides up in back.

00:40:24.922 --> 00:40:28.384
I hope that I\'ll be able to put
on my leg prostheses myself.

00:40:33.389 --> 00:40:36.350
It would be fantastic,
for example,

00:40:36.351 --> 00:40:38.645
if I could do my own laundry.

00:40:42.357 --> 00:40:45.860
I most hope to
gain independence.

00:40:47.445 --> 00:40:49.488
Then, maybe I\'ll be able

00:40:49.489 --> 00:40:53.451
to have a little less pressure
on Angel to help out so much.

00:40:57.163 --> 00:40:59.873
- I don\'t know that having
to take immunosuppressants

00:40:59.874 --> 00:41:02.626
for the rest of your life
is the greatest thing.

00:41:02.627 --> 00:41:06.631
If it were my body, I
probably wouldn\'t do it.

00:41:09.467 --> 00:41:12.053
But I stand behind his decision.

00:41:14.889 --> 00:41:17.475
I\'m there to help him through it.

00:41:25.441 --> 00:41:30.613
And I hope everything comes
out well in the end.

00:41:31.948 --> 00:41:34.158
But I\'m also worried about

00:41:37.495 --> 00:41:41.624
that it might cause more
of a mess than anything.

00:41:42.959 --> 00:41:47.004
Rejection episodes is not
something that either one

00:41:47.839 --> 00:41:49.172
of us are keen on.

00:41:49.173 --> 00:41:52.509
So, having to be
reamputated would

00:41:52.510 --> 00:41:56.472
probably be a little
bit of a difficult blow.

00:41:58.683 --> 00:42:00.767
There are a lot of
things to consider.

00:42:00.768 --> 00:42:04.897
In the end, you couldn\'t ever
deny somebody the ability

00:42:05.732 --> 00:42:07.567
to touch again with hands.

00:42:09.819 --> 00:42:11.654
- Help me up.

00:42:21.122 --> 00:42:22.248
Okay, I\'m up.

00:42:31.591 --> 00:42:34.301
- Yeah, I can feel it,
but not as much

00:42:34.302 --> 00:42:37.513
as up here, down here.

00:42:38.723 --> 00:42:39.723
Here\'s more sensitive.

00:42:39.724 --> 00:42:40.724
Here\'s not as sensitive.

00:42:40.725 --> 00:42:42.976
Here\'s more sensitive.
That tickles.

00:42:42.977 --> 00:42:45.687
I describe it like this.

00:42:45.688 --> 00:42:49.650
When I met my wife, when we
held hands it was electric.

00:42:50.985 --> 00:42:51.944
It was likes sparks
went through my body,

00:42:51.945 --> 00:42:53.278
but it was really awesome.

00:42:53.279 --> 00:42:57.115
Well, there\'s a time,
about a year and a half,

00:42:57.116 --> 00:42:58.742
when I started
getting some feeling,

00:42:58.743 --> 00:43:00.827
that whenever you touched
me it was like that.

00:43:00.828 --> 00:43:03.747
It was unbelievable.
It was electric, but it was good.

00:43:03.748 --> 00:43:04.790
When somebody grabbed my hands,

00:43:04.791 --> 00:43:05.916
it was like electricity
went right through me,

00:43:05.917 --> 00:43:07.751
but it was really cool.

00:43:07.752 --> 00:43:09.669
I just wanted a finger, so
I could scratch my nose

00:43:09.670 --> 00:43:11.296
and scratch my face.

00:43:11.297 --> 00:43:13.298
I mean, you put that hook
on your face to do this.

00:43:13.299 --> 00:43:15.510
- It\'s ridiculous, yeah.

00:43:16.844 --> 00:43:19.346
Yeah, if I have an itch down
here it takes me ten minutes.

00:43:19.347 --> 00:43:20.639
- And people don\'t understand
what can you do with your hands.

00:43:20.640 --> 00:43:21.682
This is huge.

00:43:22.767 --> 00:43:26.687
If I could do that, I would
do anything to do that.

00:43:27.814 --> 00:43:29.982
I just wanted a
finger, just a finger.

00:43:30.817 --> 00:43:32.150
The whole thing about it is,

00:43:32.151 --> 00:43:33.860
you wanna get the arms
to get it over with.

00:43:33.861 --> 00:43:37.614
So, the waiting was a year,
and that was terrible,

00:43:37.615 --> 00:43:40.909
because now that you have
your life that you are living,

00:43:40.910 --> 00:43:42.869
and so you accepted
where you are

00:43:42.870 --> 00:43:43.995
and you\'re going forward.

00:43:43.996 --> 00:43:45.747
Now, you\'re gonna wait for arms,

00:43:45.748 --> 00:43:47.959
so you kinda stopped life

00:43:49.460 --> 00:43:52.337
because now you wanna
start it again with arms.

00:43:52.338 --> 00:43:53.256
- No regrets?

00:43:53.257 --> 00:43:54.548
- For me, it\'s worth it.

00:43:54.549 --> 00:43:56.049
Yeah, it\'s always a
concern on my mind

00:43:56.050 --> 00:43:59.010
that I would not like to
be taking the medication.

00:43:59.011 --> 00:44:01.931
Don\'t forget, I learned
how to live without them.

00:44:24.161 --> 00:44:26.873
- 52 feet, 3 inches.

00:44:29.584 --> 00:44:32.711
Will\'s transition was a
shattering of identity for him,

00:44:32.712 --> 00:44:36.715
but also for me in that
I always thought of Will

00:44:36.716 --> 00:44:39.886
as myself who had
different experiences.

00:44:41.012 --> 00:44:42.846
To have him so radically changed

00:44:42.847 --> 00:44:46.475
in this traumatic way
was shocking for me.

00:44:50.187 --> 00:44:52.814
To some degree, that
fear of losing him

00:44:52.815 --> 00:44:57.028
still sort of echoes through
my relationship with him.

00:45:09.749 --> 00:45:10.833
Good balance.

00:45:14.128 --> 00:45:15.921
Good balance.

00:45:15.922 --> 00:45:18.382
You\'re getting better every day.

00:45:20.384 --> 00:45:23.011
Before Will got sick, I maybe
talked with him once a week

00:45:23.012 --> 00:45:26.806
or twice a week or something,
and since he\'s gotten sick,

00:45:26.807 --> 00:45:29.434
I call him most every day.

00:45:29.435 --> 00:45:34.231
That connection has been
really important for me.

00:45:37.360 --> 00:45:40.236
I accompanied Will
on his first visit

00:45:40.237 --> 00:45:42.448
to meet the surgical team.

00:45:44.575 --> 00:45:47.077
This is really an
extraordinary opportunity

00:45:47.078 --> 00:45:51.206
for Will to regain a lot of
function and independence

00:45:51.207 --> 00:45:55.044
that he hasn\'t had for
the last three years.

00:45:58.547 --> 00:46:02.634
It\'s a huge investment by the
hospital and the surgical team

00:46:02.635 --> 00:46:06.806
to go for this procedure,
to put anyone through it.

00:46:08.057 --> 00:46:11.476
And Will would ideally and
ultimately benefit from this,

00:46:11.477 --> 00:46:15.188
but it\'s also a huge
sacrifice on his part,

00:46:15.189 --> 00:46:18.233
to essentially,
- To subject himself.

00:46:18.234 --> 00:46:22.446
- put himself on the altar of science
and medicine, and say,

00:46:23.698 --> 00:46:26.575
\"Okay, I\'m willing to
risk it all for this.\"

00:46:31.956 --> 00:46:33.999
But the one thing
that was, I think,

00:46:34.000 --> 00:46:37.253
really courageous and
idealistic of Will

00:46:37.753 --> 00:46:39.587
is that

00:46:39.588 --> 00:46:43.801
right from the get go, one of the
first questions he asked was,

00:46:44.802 --> 00:46:47.013
\"Can you learn from this?\"

00:46:47.888 --> 00:46:51.099
They said, \"Well, we learn with it.

00:46:51.100 --> 00:46:55.312
\"Every one of these we
do, we learn something.\"

00:46:57.648 --> 00:46:58.690
And that was it.

00:46:58.691 --> 00:47:00.192
That was enough for Will.

00:47:08.242 --> 00:47:09.160
- Is that okay?

00:47:09.161 --> 00:47:10.452
- Mm-hmm.

00:47:10.453 --> 00:47:12.620
- You don\'t feel like
you are getting choked?

00:47:12.621 --> 00:47:13.414
- No.

00:47:13.415 --> 00:47:17.959
- Okay, then

00:47:17.960 --> 00:47:19.253
15 it is.

00:47:32.224 --> 00:47:33.392
- That\'s better.

00:47:44.195 --> 00:47:45.653
- Will, you are widely known

00:47:45.654 --> 00:47:48.531
as a talented filmmaker
and film professor.

00:47:48.532 --> 00:47:52.327
Little aside here, Will
was the graduate assistant

00:47:52.328 --> 00:47:53.661
to Saul Bellow.

00:47:53.662 --> 00:47:56.456
- No, I was his
executive secretary.

00:47:56.457 --> 00:47:57.457
- Executive secretary

00:47:57.458 --> 00:47:58.875
to Saul Bellow.

00:47:58.876 --> 00:48:00.460
I was told earlier that the

00:48:00.461 --> 00:48:03.338
very best recommendation
ever written for anyone

00:48:03.339 --> 00:48:05.256
to get into our graduate
program was written

00:48:05.257 --> 00:48:08.134
by Saul Bellow on Will\'s behalf.

00:48:08.135 --> 00:48:09.427
But you\'ve kept fighting.

00:48:09.428 --> 00:48:10.970
You fought for two
arm transplants,

00:48:10.971 --> 00:48:13.932
and we know as soon as you
get to return to filming,

00:48:13.933 --> 00:48:15.266
you\'ll fight to
make your next piece

00:48:15.267 --> 00:48:17.644
as riveting as the last.

00:48:17.645 --> 00:48:19.437
Even now, you\'re pursuing the arts

00:48:19.438 --> 00:48:22.941
as a comedian, raising
awareness about disabilities.

00:48:22.942 --> 00:48:25.360
We are honored to present
you, Will Lautzenheiser,

00:48:25.361 --> 00:48:28.113
with a Boston University
College of Communication

00:48:28.114 --> 00:48:29.990
Distinguished Alumnus Award.

00:48:36.372 --> 00:48:37.664
- I hope you don\'t
mind that I\'ll sit here

00:48:37.665 --> 00:48:38.791
for my remarks.

00:48:40.209 --> 00:48:42.877
Of course, I had no
expectation that I might get

00:48:42.878 --> 00:48:44.379
to this award a little sooner

00:48:44.380 --> 00:48:47.508
than I might have
originally planned,

00:48:49.009 --> 00:48:52.805
and not for anything that
had to do with my work,

00:48:54.014 --> 00:48:56.474
in particular, but for
this unfortunate event.

00:48:56.475 --> 00:48:57.767
My advice?

00:48:57.768 --> 00:48:59.435
Keep focusing on
what\'s important.

00:48:59.436 --> 00:49:02.397
For me, that\'s now looking
ahead to these transplants

00:49:02.398 --> 00:49:04.566
which could come at any time.

00:49:04.567 --> 00:49:05.775
That\'s true for
everyone, though.

00:49:05.776 --> 00:49:08.153
You never know when
a call might come in

00:49:08.154 --> 00:49:10.238
that changes you forever.

00:49:10.239 --> 00:49:14.451
So, do your work and
keep a positive attitude.

00:49:15.119 --> 00:49:16.452
I want to thank my family—

00:49:16.453 --> 00:49:18.663
my parents are here—
and my partner Angel, most of all.

00:49:18.664 --> 00:49:20.874
And I wouldn\'t
have been able to get through

00:49:20.875 --> 00:49:23.377
any of this without him

00:49:24.587 --> 00:49:26.629
and without this whole
community of people.

00:49:26.630 --> 00:49:29.466
Thank you.

00:49:41.979 --> 00:49:46.192
I feel, right now, that I\'m
not quite yet in a place

00:49:47.484 --> 00:49:50.654
where I can be an
effective teacher.

00:49:52.448 --> 00:49:56.618
Could I make a go of fitting
into this context again

00:49:56.619 --> 00:49:58.661
after being kind of
wrenched out from it

00:49:58.662 --> 00:50:00.956
in such a horrible fashion?

00:50:03.292 --> 00:50:05.084
It\'s something that
I would really love

00:50:05.085 --> 00:50:08.881
to be able to do again.
And being here today

00:50:09.548 --> 00:50:11.049
really brings that home

00:50:11.050 --> 00:50:14.345
and brings up all
those feelings again.

00:50:19.350 --> 00:50:20.434
I don\'t know.

00:50:46.585 --> 00:50:47.835
I\'m nervous.

00:50:47.836 --> 00:50:50.129
I\'m feeling a
little bit of shock,

00:50:50.130 --> 00:50:52.632
because I\'ve settled into a routine

00:50:52.633 --> 00:50:54.717
of going about my
life other ways.

00:50:54.718 --> 00:50:57.554
And then the call comes
in, and we\'re jumping.

00:51:16.490 --> 00:51:18.866
- There are risks involved
in any type of surgery.

00:51:18.867 --> 00:51:20.952
Those include bleeding,
include infection

00:51:20.953 --> 00:51:22.161
or potentially death.

00:51:22.162 --> 00:51:23.830
- Yes.

00:51:23.831 --> 00:51:27.250
- These are not things that we
expect by any stretch at all.

00:51:27.251 --> 00:51:29.961
We tell them to you in the
spirit of full disclosure.

00:51:29.962 --> 00:51:31.629
Is there anything that
I can answer for you

00:51:31.630 --> 00:51:33.632
based on what I\'ve gone over?

00:51:34.717 --> 00:51:35.883
- Where do I sign?

00:51:35.884 --> 00:51:38.012
- Okay, good question.

00:51:49.606 --> 00:51:53.234
- To think that
someone will be dying

00:51:53.235 --> 00:51:55.611
for this is not an easy thought.

00:51:55.612 --> 00:51:59.407
This is an individual
who has a family

00:51:59.408 --> 00:52:02.994
going through a
tremendously difficult time.

00:52:02.995 --> 00:52:07.166
And all I can hope for is that
they will consider this a way

00:52:08.751 --> 00:52:12.880
for their loved one to make
a huge difference for me.

00:52:17.259 --> 00:52:18.968
I just really want to say,
\"Thank you all\"

00:52:18.969 --> 00:52:21.137
\"for treating me and for being here.\"

00:52:21.138 --> 00:52:25.351
This is, obviously, a
tremendous impact on my life,

00:52:26.185 --> 00:52:28.854
and I hope for all good things.

00:52:32.066 --> 00:52:34.400
And I am extremely
grateful for you

00:52:34.401 --> 00:52:37.278
to be here as my care team,

00:52:37.279 --> 00:52:40.698
all of you, those I know
and those I don\'t know.

00:52:40.699 --> 00:52:42.950
Thank you.

00:52:42.951 --> 00:52:44.912
- We\'ll take good care of you, Will.

00:52:51.752 --> 00:52:52.752
- Now I\'m gonna have you

00:52:52.753 --> 00:52:54.587
take nice deep breaths.

00:52:54.588 --> 00:52:56.757
You just want to fill those
lungs up completely.

00:53:02.930 --> 00:53:04.305
- Communication is critical.

00:53:04.306 --> 00:53:06.015
It\'s a little dramatic to
say we run a stopwatch,

00:53:06.016 --> 00:53:08.643
but we actually say, \"Okay, go,\"

00:53:08.644 --> 00:53:10.853
and both teams start
at the same time.

00:53:10.854 --> 00:53:13.315
- Go, go, go, go, go.

00:53:15.567 --> 00:53:16.984
- All right, guys.
Just to give you a heads up

00:53:16.985 --> 00:53:18.945
with the other team.

00:53:18.946 --> 00:53:21.489
The arms are ready, but they
have to do the osteotomy

00:53:21.490 --> 00:53:24.158
and the ligation, which they
are estimating at 20 minutes.

00:53:24.159 --> 00:53:26.953
And they need a
30 minute heads up

00:53:26.954 --> 00:53:28.079
to get the attendings
back in the room.

00:53:28.080 --> 00:53:29.581
- Okay.

00:53:32.084 --> 00:53:34.752
- The moment we detach the
tissues from the donor,

00:53:34.753 --> 00:53:37.881
we have four hours
to reconnect them.

00:53:40.134 --> 00:53:41.342
- Once those limbs do arrive,

00:53:41.343 --> 00:53:43.636
we identify the various
structures in both Will

00:53:43.637 --> 00:53:45.555
and in the donor limb,

00:53:45.556 --> 00:53:49.768
bones, nerves, muscles
and tendons, and so on.

00:53:50.936 --> 00:53:53.105
And then we hook them
up one at a time.

00:53:54.731 --> 00:53:58.277
Got superficial radial PIN,
ulnar nerve, vascular structures.

00:54:00.988 --> 00:54:04.198
We can only go so long
before we deprive the limb

00:54:04.199 --> 00:54:06.159
irreversibly of
various nutrients,

00:54:06.160 --> 00:54:09.579
and the way that we restore
that is by restoring blood flow.

00:54:09.580 --> 00:54:13.708
That\'s the most time-critical
aspect of the operation.

00:54:13.709 --> 00:54:16.169
- Under a microscope, we join up
the arteries with tiny microstitches

00:54:16.170 --> 00:54:20.256
that are about the size
of a human hair.

00:54:20.257 --> 00:54:22.467
- Once we open up
those blood vessels,

00:54:22.468 --> 00:54:25.511
you literally see the
hand pink up again.

00:54:25.512 --> 00:54:27.513
You can watch blood flow return,

00:54:27.514 --> 00:54:29.056
because you can see the color change.

00:54:29.057 --> 00:54:31.976
It goes from a very white
cadaveric appearance

00:54:31.977 --> 00:54:34.228
to the pink appearance
that we know

00:54:34.229 --> 00:54:36.063
as a healthy human being.

00:54:36.064 --> 00:54:38.191
That\'s a kind of
quasi-religious experience

00:54:38.192 --> 00:54:40.068
when you see it happen.

00:54:40.819 --> 00:54:42.613
It is, indeed.

00:54:45.199 --> 00:54:47.409
Exactly, well done.

00:55:09.681 --> 00:55:11.182
- Should we run through things?

00:55:11.183 --> 00:55:12.266
- Sure.

00:55:12.267 --> 00:55:14.268
- So, our major concern
at the moment is

00:55:14.269 --> 00:55:16.771
that he\'s got some
donor-specific antibodies,

00:55:16.772 --> 00:55:18.606
and the levels of
those have been rising.

00:55:18.607 --> 00:55:20.233
And so we\'ve been
plasmapheresing him to try

00:55:20.234 --> 00:55:22.151
and get rid of
antibodies in his system,

00:55:22.152 --> 00:55:24.320
but we want to make sure that
we\'re not missing an infection

00:55:24.321 --> 00:55:27.241
that is part of
this whole picture.

00:55:37.876 --> 00:55:39.294
- 98.5. Perfect.

00:55:55.978 --> 00:55:57.436
- Your white count is
a little bit up again.

00:55:57.437 --> 00:55:59.397
It\'s a really hard thing
to say exactly what that is,

00:55:59.398 --> 00:56:00.232
because nothing
else is coming up

00:56:00.233 --> 00:56:01.983
with any explanation for it.

00:56:01.984 --> 00:56:02.776
So, could it be the steroids?

00:56:02.777 --> 00:56:04.068
Sure.

00:56:04.069 --> 00:56:05.361
Could it be an infection?

00:56:05.362 --> 00:56:07.154
Possibly. But none of
the labs have come back

00:56:07.155 --> 00:56:10.534
with anything worrying
yet, which is good.

00:56:12.077 --> 00:56:16.206
I see nothing worrying about his
arms at all. It really looks pristine.

00:56:24.548 --> 00:56:26.633
It\'s amazing. Isn\'t it?

00:56:29.177 --> 00:56:30.761
- All right.

00:56:30.762 --> 00:56:31.680
- Looks good.

00:56:31.681 --> 00:56:33.389
- Looks good. You said it.

00:56:33.390 --> 00:56:34.932
We didn\'t even need to say it.

00:56:34.933 --> 00:56:36.267
These guys will come
back and change that side

00:56:36.268 --> 00:56:37.852
when all the
plasmapheresis is finished.

00:56:37.853 --> 00:56:38.645
Okay?

00:56:38.646 --> 00:56:40.438
- Very good.

00:56:40.439 --> 00:56:41.523
- See you guys.

00:57:11.345 --> 00:57:13.471
- From a surgical standpoint,

00:57:13.472 --> 00:57:15.848
we\'re looking at
a total success.

00:57:15.849 --> 00:57:19.560
The arm is well
vascularized, and in fact,

00:57:19.561 --> 00:57:23.774
we\'re ahead of schedule on
things like nail regrowth.

00:57:25.359 --> 00:57:28.069
My nails need trimming now,
and they weren\'t expecting

00:57:28.070 --> 00:57:31.280
to need that for another
two or three weeks.

00:57:31.281 --> 00:57:35.494
I have a really tiny bit of
sensation below the join line.

00:57:36.787 --> 00:57:40.456
So I can just begin to feel
the skin on the donor arm,

00:57:40.457 --> 00:57:42.249
which means my nerves
are already getting

00:57:42.250 --> 00:57:44.627
down there, slightly.

00:57:44.628 --> 00:57:46.462
- My goodness.

00:57:46.463 --> 00:57:48.714
- The way I\'m thinking
about the arms now is

00:57:48.715 --> 00:57:52.928
in a Joycean way, where Joyce
has a line in \"Ulysses\" about ...

00:57:54.179 --> 00:57:56.138
Stephen is on the
beach and he thinks

00:57:56.139 --> 00:57:59.100
about all of his borrowed
clothes and whatnot.

00:57:59.101 --> 00:58:01.227
And he says, \"Hismy sandal.\"

00:58:01.228 --> 00:58:04.647
\"Hismy\" is one word. H-I-S-M-Y.

00:58:04.648 --> 00:58:06.023
It just seems so apt.

00:58:06.024 --> 00:58:09.945
It\'s like these are my hands,
but they were/are his hands,

00:58:11.321 --> 00:58:13.364
and so they\'re hismy hands.

00:58:13.365 --> 00:58:15.074
Maybe all human
hands are beautiful,

00:58:15.075 --> 00:58:18.119
but these strike me as
especially beautiful.

00:58:18.120 --> 00:58:22.332
I am absolutely in awe
of this possibility,

00:58:23.667 --> 00:58:28.213
and I have so much hope that
it\'s gonna work out for me.

00:58:39.516 --> 00:58:41.225
- As with all transplants,

00:58:41.226 --> 00:58:43.686
procedures such as
this do not take place

00:58:43.687 --> 00:58:45.771
without the kindness
and the generosity

00:58:45.772 --> 00:58:48.399
of a donor and a donor family.

00:58:48.400 --> 00:58:50.359
As you\'ve already
heard in this case,

00:58:50.360 --> 00:58:52.570
a family suffering a deep
personal loss was able

00:58:52.571 --> 00:58:55.489
to say yes to this
donation request

00:58:55.490 --> 00:58:58.200
and give hope and
health to others.

00:58:58.201 --> 00:59:00.453
And we thank that family
for their selflessness

00:59:00.454 --> 00:59:03.664
and for the gifts that forever
changed the life of the strangers

00:59:03.665 --> 00:59:06.292
who they knew were
in great need.

00:59:06.293 --> 00:59:09.754
This weekend, the parents
of Will\'s donor provided

00:59:09.755 --> 00:59:12.798
to New England Organ
Bank a short message

00:59:12.799 --> 00:59:15.634
that they would like to
have passed on to Will.

00:59:15.635 --> 00:59:17.803
And they were willing

00:59:17.804 --> 00:59:21.849
to have us share that
publicly this morning.

00:59:21.850 --> 00:59:23.852
I hope I can read this.

00:59:27.564 --> 00:59:30.734
They wrote, \"Our son
gave the best hugs.

00:59:32.027 --> 00:59:35.781
\"We pray that you make
a wonderful recovery,

00:59:36.740 --> 00:59:38.491
\"and that your loved
ones will be able

00:59:38.492 --> 00:59:40.660
\"to enjoy your warm embrace.\"

00:59:42.120 --> 00:59:43.830
Thank you.

01:00:21.910 --> 01:00:23.577
- This is him,

01:00:23.578 --> 01:00:27.791
so this shouldn\'t feel
like anything different.

01:00:28.291 --> 01:00:29.583
Close your eyes.

01:00:29.584 --> 01:00:33.672
Well, we start at
the top of the graft.

01:00:34.172 --> 01:00:36.215
- That I feel.

01:00:36.216 --> 01:00:38.718
- What if I do it very soft?

01:00:41.137 --> 01:00:42.222
- Not really.

01:00:44.140 --> 01:00:47.726
I definitely feel
something there.

01:00:47.727 --> 01:00:49.520
- Good or bad?

01:00:49.521 --> 01:00:50.729
- It\'s just a sensation.

01:00:50.730 --> 01:00:52.899
It\'s not either good or bad.

01:00:54.401 --> 01:00:57.736
- How are you guys doing?

01:00:57.737 --> 01:00:58.988
- Do you wanna take that?

01:00:58.989 --> 01:01:01.491
- No.

01:01:02.742 --> 01:01:03.826
How am I doing?

01:01:03.827 --> 01:01:06.203
How are we doing?
- How are we doing

01:01:06.204 --> 01:01:10.125
with the schedule and
all the responsibilities?

01:01:11.835 --> 01:01:13.295
- How are we doing?

01:01:25.181 --> 01:01:27.182
- How hard was this for you

01:01:27.183 --> 01:01:28.809
to go through this?

01:01:28.810 --> 01:01:31.437
- How hard is it?
It\'s still hard.

01:01:31.438 --> 01:01:33.731
One way you can
explain it is that

01:01:33.732 --> 01:01:35.065
when someone has a child

01:01:35.066 --> 01:01:38.569
you might instantly
love that child.

01:01:38.570 --> 01:01:40.946
And that\'s how I kind
of felt about the hands,

01:01:40.947 --> 01:01:43.033
sort of like the newborn.

01:01:45.952 --> 01:01:48.829
- In some ways, I think
we are both growing

01:01:48.830 --> 01:01:51.625
in a way that we
didn\'t expect to.

01:01:54.711 --> 01:01:58.255
- I feel like a newborn,
haplessly moving around

01:01:58.256 --> 01:02:01.592
through space and
trying to reintegrate,

01:02:01.593 --> 01:02:04.095
and doing it rather fumblingly.

01:02:08.975 --> 01:02:11.685
I certainly had
other ideas about

01:02:11.686 --> 01:02:15.356
what my life might look like

01:02:15.357 --> 01:02:19.193
and what my life might
be like with Angel.

01:02:19.194 --> 01:02:23.113
And it didn\'t involve spending

01:02:23.114 --> 01:02:25.866
so much time in the hospital

01:02:25.867 --> 01:02:29.871
and losing most
of my independence.

01:02:32.207 --> 01:02:35.125
But all you can
really do is say,

01:02:35.126 --> 01:02:37.127
\"Well, this happened.\"

01:02:37.128 --> 01:02:40.673
And if we\'re gonna
try to make this work,

01:02:40.674 --> 01:02:44.886
then we kind of have to just
move beyond that feeling.

01:02:52.143 --> 01:02:53.852
- You guys have wrapped
those beautifully.

01:02:53.853 --> 01:02:56.063
- Angel has really
been practicing.

01:02:56.064 --> 01:02:58.023
- He\'s clearly doing a good
job, because I can already see

01:02:58.024 --> 01:03:00.442
that your swelling has come
down a lot since I last saw you.

01:03:00.443 --> 01:03:01.653
- Yes, it has.

01:03:03.321 --> 01:03:05.114
- Whenever we transplant
a limb onto somebody,

01:03:05.115 --> 01:03:06.865
probably the biggest thing
that we worry about is

01:03:06.866 --> 01:03:08.242
rejection of the limbs.

01:03:08.243 --> 01:03:09.576
And we educate our
patients to look

01:03:09.577 --> 01:03:10.953
for the signs of rejection,

01:03:10.954 --> 01:03:13.580
which most commonly are a rash.

01:03:13.581 --> 01:03:15.833
In Will\'s case, when he
did show a skin rash,

01:03:15.834 --> 01:03:17.584
and we did notice it
was an early rejection,

01:03:17.585 --> 01:03:20.045
we treated him with
some strong drugs.

01:03:20.046 --> 01:03:24.258
Fortunately, those things
all were very simply treated.

01:03:24.259 --> 01:03:26.719
Nail folds are very sensitive
to any signs of rejection.

01:03:26.720 --> 01:03:29.513
They look absolutely fine.

01:03:29.514 --> 01:03:32.182
Suddenly, you\'ve got a new arm
that has no sensation

01:03:32.183 --> 01:03:33.143
for a period of time,

01:03:33.144 --> 01:03:35.310
and that you don\'t
have much control over.

01:03:35.311 --> 01:03:37.855
And so you actually
become less capable

01:03:37.856 --> 01:03:40.357
for those few months
after surgery.

01:03:40.358 --> 01:03:42.276
These muscles power this joint.

01:03:42.277 --> 01:03:44.361
These muscles power this joint.

01:03:44.362 --> 01:03:45.280
- Okay.

01:03:45.281 --> 01:03:46.655
- These muscles power some of the

01:03:46.656 --> 01:03:49.283
small finger joints, that move them apart.

01:03:49.284 --> 01:03:50.868
One of the things

01:03:50.869 --> 01:03:54.163
that makes an arm functional is
nerves reaching their targets.

01:03:54.164 --> 01:03:56.206
When your nerve has to grow from
the upper arm all the way

01:03:56.207 --> 01:03:58.208
to the hand, it
takes a long time.

01:03:58.209 --> 01:03:59.752
A millimeter a day
is around about

01:03:59.753 --> 01:04:02.296
what we say a nerve grows,
and so it takes a long time

01:04:02.297 --> 01:04:03.964
for it to get down there.

01:04:03.965 --> 01:04:06.175
- And that can take years
in certain circumstances.

01:04:06.176 --> 01:04:09.303
So, over time, as the nerves
recover and as the muscles

01:04:09.304 --> 01:04:10.846
and tendons recover,

01:04:10.847 --> 01:04:14.099
we tend to witness
increasing function.

01:04:14.100 --> 01:04:15.434
But in order to
achieve that function,

01:04:15.435 --> 01:04:19.647
people need to do, for the most
part, lifelong hand therapy.

01:04:20.940 --> 01:04:23.233
And it\'s really intense
in the initial phases.

01:04:23.234 --> 01:04:26.236
We are talking in the order
of seven to eight hours a day

01:04:26.237 --> 01:04:29.364
for several months, acutely.
And then it tapers off

01:04:29.365 --> 01:04:32.494
as time goes by.
But that\'s a huge investment.

01:04:33.661 --> 01:04:35.788
- It only takes about
three days for the brain

01:04:35.789 --> 01:04:38.248
to forget how to do an activity.

01:04:38.249 --> 01:04:40.542
- Oh, no.
- Only three days.

01:04:40.543 --> 01:04:43.253
So that\'s why bodybuilders

01:04:43.254 --> 01:04:46.924
really have to do their
exercises every single day.

01:04:46.925 --> 01:04:49.468
Lift up, lift up, lift
up. You did though.

01:04:49.469 --> 01:04:51.804
Go, go, go. You can do it.
You can do it. You can do it.

01:04:51.805 --> 01:04:52.805
Good job.

01:04:57.227 --> 01:04:58.603
Whack.

01:05:00.480 --> 01:05:02.481
- That\'s the reason to get arms.

01:05:02.482 --> 01:05:05.818
It\'s to be able to slap people.
- That\'s right.

01:05:05.819 --> 01:05:09.238
- Part of what we do is
trying to get the brain

01:05:09.239 --> 01:05:11.615
to reassimilate
the motions again,

01:05:11.616 --> 01:05:13.408
because for many years now,

01:05:13.409 --> 01:05:15.828
the brain didn\'t have
this type of movement.

01:05:15.829 --> 01:05:20.041
So, we have to retrain the
brain to learn how to move.

01:05:20.708 --> 01:05:22.042
- Look at my fingers.

01:05:22.043 --> 01:05:23.669
- Yes, you can go
hitchhiking now.

01:05:23.670 --> 01:05:25.546
- Yeah, thumbs up.

01:05:25.547 --> 01:05:27.756
- And then down.

01:05:27.757 --> 01:05:29.049
You\'re still going up.

01:05:29.050 --> 01:05:30.051
Okay, relax.

01:05:34.139 --> 01:05:37.349
- As people recover, as nerves
heal, they start to pick up

01:05:37.350 --> 01:05:41.563
on the vibration and hot/cold first.
So, if you wanna go

01:05:43.064 --> 01:05:44.481
right along that area
and see if Will feels it,

01:05:44.482 --> 01:05:46.525
that would be great.

01:05:46.526 --> 01:05:47.485
Do you feel any of that?

01:05:47.486 --> 01:05:49.778
- Yes, especially there.

01:05:49.779 --> 01:05:51.572
- Good.

01:05:51.573 --> 01:05:54.449
Steve, I\'ll have you switch over,
so we\'ll get both sides.

01:05:54.450 --> 01:05:55.909
Will, you\'re feeling
all that vibration?

01:05:55.910 --> 01:05:57.161
- Pretty well.

01:05:57.162 --> 01:05:59.454
Actually, Steve, the
most is, come back down.

01:05:59.455 --> 01:06:01.331
Yeah, there is the most.

01:06:01.332 --> 01:06:02.332
- Nice.

01:06:15.722 --> 01:06:19.934
- He\'s just so happy when
he can do stuff like that.

01:06:21.144 --> 01:06:24.522
People are so excited
to see his progress.

01:06:27.066 --> 01:06:31.070
I think he likes that people
are rooting for him.

01:06:33.156 --> 01:06:35.158
- Slow and easy.

01:06:36.576 --> 01:06:40.330
Just push together.
Push together. Push together.

01:06:40.830 --> 01:06:42.289
Push together.

01:06:42.290 --> 01:06:44.833
Push together. Push together.
Push together.

01:06:44.834 --> 01:06:46.711
Oh, you have it on you now.

01:06:47.629 --> 01:06:48.837
Would you be able to?

01:06:48.838 --> 01:06:50.589
No, okay.

01:06:50.590 --> 01:06:53.634
- I remember the day
he looked at his arms,

01:06:53.635 --> 01:06:56.763
and said, \"Steve,
I have goosebumps.\"

01:07:03.519 --> 01:07:04.729
I got goosebumps.

01:07:07.774 --> 01:07:11.277
- Now, remember my
hand is there, okay?

01:07:14.239 --> 01:07:15.073
Strong.

01:07:15.074 --> 01:07:16.657
- This is no good.

01:07:16.658 --> 01:07:17.699
Sorry.

01:07:17.700 --> 01:07:19.410
All right.

01:07:21.663 --> 01:07:23.330
- Good job. Easy does it.

01:07:23.331 --> 01:07:24.874
There you go. Hold on.

01:07:30.588 --> 01:07:32.590
- Try that again.

01:07:35.134 --> 01:07:37.469
- Keep holding. Keep holding.
Keep holding.

01:07:37.470 --> 01:07:41.683
As you come down, keep holding.
Keep holding. Keep holding.

01:07:43.142 --> 01:07:44.727
Excellent. Good job.

01:07:45.728 --> 01:07:47.104
Concentration.

01:07:47.105 --> 01:07:48.438
There.

01:07:48.439 --> 01:07:51.692
Wonderful. That\'s
your Jenga skill here.

01:07:51.693 --> 01:07:52.776
All right.

01:07:52.777 --> 01:07:56.655
- I\'m probably not ever
gonna be a Jenga master,

01:07:56.656 --> 01:07:58.741
but whatever.

01:08:02.370 --> 01:08:04.288
- One thing that\'s been restored

01:08:04.289 --> 01:08:07.624
as part of the surgery is
not just Will having arms,

01:08:07.625 --> 01:08:10.877
but it was therapeutic for me.

01:08:10.878 --> 01:08:14.464
The door is open for
really great things

01:08:14.465 --> 01:08:18.510
for Will, and that\'s been
restabilizing for me.

01:08:18.511 --> 01:08:22.056
- Now there\'s a new
living room under there.

01:08:23.933 --> 01:08:26.143
- I feel like the road is ahead,

01:08:26.144 --> 01:08:28.938
and Will can choose
where he goes.

01:08:32.817 --> 01:08:35.902
- I\'m looking into
my crystal ball.

01:08:35.903 --> 01:08:38.280
Will I get it into
the basket or not?

01:08:38.281 --> 01:08:39.906
- Yes.

01:08:39.907 --> 01:08:40.907
- Doubtful.

01:08:41.743 --> 01:08:42.952
- Yay.

01:08:44.037 --> 01:08:45.037
- Hurrah.

01:08:46.998 --> 01:08:48.875
Okay, there\'s one.

01:10:03.282 --> 01:10:06.576
- Well, when we spoke to
you last you also said,

01:10:06.577 --> 01:10:09.371
\"You know, maybe I\'ll
go for the legs too,

01:10:09.372 --> 01:10:12.332
\"a double-leg transplant.\"

01:10:12.333 --> 01:10:16.546
- Yes. With all the commitment
to the arms,

01:10:17.380 --> 01:10:18.672
I had been thinking lately,

01:10:18.673 --> 01:10:21.633
well, maybe it\'s okay
to wait on the legs.

01:10:21.634 --> 01:10:25.847
Maybe I don\'t need to
spend most of my
40s in the hospital.

01:10:27.140 --> 01:10:30.517
But then, about two
weeks ago,
I was transferring

01:10:30.518 --> 01:10:34.731
to my shower bench,
and I just had a
thought,

01:10:36.023 --> 01:10:39.026
\"Maybe, if we want to revisit
that, it might be time.\"

01:10:40.611 --> 01:10:44.198
And oddly, later that day,
one of my doctors called

01:10:45.199 --> 01:10:47.325
and said, \"We\'ve been
thinking about this.\"

01:10:47.326 --> 01:10:49.744
\"And maybe you want to reconvene

01:10:49.745 --> 01:10:53.623
\"and start having a
discussion about it?\"

01:10:53.624 --> 01:10:54.958
- Angel, how do you feel
about that?

01:10:54.959 --> 01:10:57.377
That would be several more years

01:10:57.378 --> 01:11:00.798
of this hard daily
work and caregiving.

01:11:02.175 --> 01:11:06.095
- It\'s scary in many ways,
because he\'s got arms now.

01:11:07.180 --> 01:11:08.430
So, we\'re now putting the arms

01:11:08.431 --> 01:11:11.224
in maybe a compromised position

01:11:11.225 --> 01:11:12.893
if things don\'t go well,

01:11:12.894 --> 01:11:15.896
and we don\'t want to lose that.

01:11:15.897 --> 01:11:18.982
- I\'ve come so far with
the arms, and for me,

01:11:18.983 --> 01:11:23.196
this surgery was
absolutely the right thing.

01:11:24.530 --> 01:11:26.615
The question of legs is kind of
up in the air right now,

01:11:26.616 --> 01:11:30.828
in part, because the surgery
is very, very experimental,

01:11:31.829 --> 01:11:33.915
so the risks are greater.

01:11:34.999 --> 01:11:37.835
Yet, there\'s something
very alluring

01:11:39.754 --> 01:11:43.174
about the possibility
of being restored.