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2 Years After Double Arm Transplant, Boston Man Is Thriving

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Will Lautzenheiser shows his transplanted arms during a visit with Here & Now's Robin Young. (Robin Young/Here & Now)
Will Lautzenheiser shows his transplanted arms during a visit with Here & Now's Robin Young. (Robin Young/Here & Now)

Five years ago, when he was 37 years old, the unthinkable happened to Will Lautzenheiser. He lost both arms and both legs to a devastating bacterial infection.

But then two years ago, Lautzenheiser got what he calls an incredible gift: a double arm transplant.

Will Lautzenheiser and his partner Angel Gonzalez at their home in Brookline, Mass. (Samantha Fields/Here & Now)
Will Lautzenheiser and his partner Angel Gonzalez at their home in Brookline, Mass. (Samantha Fields/Here & Now)

Those two years have been full of daily hospital visits, and hours and hours of hard, tedious work, to get the arms working. But now, Will can turn a doorknob, feed himself, write with a pen and feel the rain on his hands.

One of Will Lautzenheiser's transplanted arms. (Robin Young/Here & Now)
One of Will Lautzenheiser's transplanted arms. (Robin Young/Here & Now)

Here & Now's Robin Young visits Will, and his partner Angel Gonzalez, at their home in Brookline, Massachusetts.

This segment aired on November 23, 2016.

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