13 WTHR IndianapolisIndiana man who lost hand in 2003 receives transplant

Indiana man who lost hand in 2003 receives transplant

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LOUISVILLE -

A north-central Indiana man who lost his right hand in a farming accident eight years ago is the eighth person to undergo a hand transplant at a Kentucky hospital.

The Courier-Journal reports 56-year-old Ronald Thurman of Marion received the new right hand during a 15½-hour operation Thursday at Jewish Hospital in Louisville. The hand was donated by the family of a Texas man.

Officials say Thurman lost his hand at the wrist in November 2003 when it was caught in a combine/auger.

The Louisville team developed the pioneering transplant procedure and has performed them since 1999.

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