Francisca Amaral, a 40-year-old mother, regained the ability to use her hand thanks to an extraordinary surgery: doctors replaced the thumb she lost in a workplace accident with one of her toes.
The woman, an immigrant from East Timor, had been working for more than a decade in Queensland, Australia, when her hand became trapped in a factory conveyor belt in January. Eight months later, a surgeon performed a 12-hour operation, connecting bones, tendons, arteries and blood vessels less than a millimeter wide to transfer her second toe to her hand.
And the results began to show much sooner than expected! In less than 24 hours, she was able to move her new thumb and, within a few weeks, had almost completely regained sensation. She can now hold objects, write and perform precise movements as she continues her rehabilitation. Through tears, she said, “I feel happy because I can use my thumb”.
