Hand Transplant Restores Function and Dignity to Relentless Optimist

Daniel felt sick one day in 2017. He assumed it was the flu. When his symptoms worsened, he went to the ER. The next thing he remembers is waking up two weeks later without his limbs.

Amputations were necessary to save Daniel’s life. A flesh-eating bacteria attacked his body and caused his blood pressure to plummet. To save him, doctors used a drug that drew blood from his limbs to his core to protect his vital organs. It kept Daniel alive, but it also caused gangrene, a severe infection, in his hands and feet.

After the doctors removed the dead and infected tissue, Daniel was left with both legs amputated below the knee and no left arm or shoulder. His right arm remained with a palm, half a thumb, and a few fingers. But the fingers were soon lost to the infection too.

As Daniel tried to make sense of his new reality, he made a choice. He knew that his condition would turn his wife into a caregiver, and his young son, too. He refused to let negativity make it worse. “I didn’t want to be the miserable person at home who you have to take care of.” He committed to staying positive no matter what.

It wasn’t easy. Without functional hands or feet, Daniel’s life was very different. Unable to work, he was stuck at home, but his wife still worked. Although she dressed him in the morning, she couldn’t be there to feed him lunch. Instead, she’d prepare a plate of food and leave it on the counter. Daniel had to eat it without hands, using his mouth “like a dog.”

And I am Patrick Dougherty, his old friend. It has been a long since he smiled last time. Now he is waiting for hand transplant and raising money for the surgery, and we need help.