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[WARNING: Contains graphic images] In recent years, medical technology and the advancement of microsurgery have greatly improved the success rate of limb reattachment surgeries compared to their first successful attempt nearly 50 years ago. This list highlights some of the most remarkable and intense cases of body part reattachments following accidents and assaults. (It’s important to note that this is distinct from recent advancements in transplanting body parts from donors.) According to my research, if you find yourself in such a situation, the best thing to do is wrap the detached limb or digit in wet paper towels, followed by plastic wrap, and then pack it in ice. Remember: prioritize saving the person, acting quickly, and saving the limb.
10. Everett Knowles - Right Arm Reattachment
This case marked the first successful human limb reattachment. In 1962, 12-year-old Everett Knowles attempted to hop aboard a freight train in Somerville, Massachusetts but was thrown against a stone wall, severing his right arm at the shoulder. Knowles walked away from the tracks, using his left hand to clutch his severed arm inside a bloody sleeve, and was quickly rushed to the emergency room. Dr. Ronald Malt, the chief surgeon, immediately assembled a team of specialists. After hours of intense surgery, the doctors successfully reconnected the blood vessels, fused the arm bone, and grafted skin and muscle together. When Knowles' hand began to regain color and a pulse returned to his wrist, the doctors then reattached four major nerve trunks. After a four-year recovery period, Knowles regained the full use of his right arm and hand, learning to function like a natural left-handed person. Eventually, he drove a six-wheel truck and worked lifting sides of beef in his job.
Fun Fact: Following the accident, Everett gained a form of celebrity status. He was frequently interviewed, and received letters and memorabilia from major league baseball players and astronauts. A fan club even formed in his honor.
9. Kaitlyn Lasitter - Right Foot Reattachment
In 2007, teenager Kaitlyn Lasitter made headlines around the world after a horrific accident at Six Flags Kentucky. The incident occurred while she was riding the Superman Tower of Power. During the ride, a cable snapped and entangled both of her legs, severing both feet. In a later statement, Kaitlyn recalled being struck on the head by something hard before the ride dropped, followed by feeling ‘yanked’ from her seat as her safety belt restrained her. She then experienced a sensation of burning and smelled the scent of her own flesh burning. While doctors were able to successfully reattach her right foot, they were unable to save her left foot, and had to amputate part of her left leg below the knee.
Fun Fact: Kaitlyn's medical expenses have accumulated into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Both the doctors and hospitals have agreed to defer payment until the family’s legal battle with the theme park is resolved.
8. Arsenio Matias - Both Hands Reattached
In 2005, while working at a factory in North Bay Shore, New York, Arsenio Matias was operating a vacuum forming machine designed to shape plastic into parts for retail displays. Without warning, the machine malfunctioned, severing both of his hands at the wrists. Looking down, Matias saw his hands on the floor and blood pouring from his wrists. His coworkers acted quickly, helping him sit in a chair and instructing him to raise his arms to reduce the bleeding. Two coworkers used their belts to tie around his arms while others rushed to a nearby store to get ice to preserve his hands. A police helicopter then airlifted him to University Hospital. Four weeks later, after undergoing intricate microsurgery, Matias was able to leave the hospital. He then entered a year-long rehabilitation process, focusing on exercises to rebuild strength and improve his hands' mobility.
Fun Fact: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the company for 17 serious violations, including insufficient employee training, failure to regularly service machinery, and six other infractions.
7. Yang Chiung-ming and Chen Ming-kuo - Two Left Arms Reattached
This is often mistaken for an urban legend, but it truly happened. In 1997, a massive tug-of-war competition was held along the Keelung River in Taipei to celebrate Retrocession Day. Over 1600 people participated in the contest. The largest person from each team was positioned at the front. As the competition began, both teams of around 800 individuals pulled with all their might. However, the large nylon rope used for the event was not strong enough to withstand the immense force exerted by the teams. The rope snapped in the middle, and the resulting recoil caused it to tear off the left arms of the two men at the front of each team. The injured men were rushed to Mackay Memorial Hospital, where they underwent a grueling seven-hour microsurgery to reattach their arms.
Fun Fact: Although many reports claim the men had their arms wrapped around the rope, the severing of their limbs was actually caused by the tremendous rebounding force of the broken rope ripping their arms off.
6. Paul Gibbs - Left Ear Reattachment
In 2008, Paul Gibbs, a 26-year-old student from Leeds, was camping with friends when he was assaulted by three men. He sustained brain injuries after being struck on the head with a motorbike helmet, and his left ear was severed. Due to the ear being missing for 17 hours after the attack, surgeons decided to place it inside his stomach to help tissue regeneration. The plan was to later reconstruct the ear using cartilage from his ribcage and eventually reattach it.
Fun Fact: Ear reconstruction dates back to as early as 600 BC in India, where doctors were known to use skin from other parts of the body to rebuild ear lobes.
5. Garrett La Fever - Big Toe Reattached as a Thumb
After Garrett La Fever lost his thumb in a woodworking accident in 2007, he chose to have surgeons remove the big toe from his right foot and attach it to his right hand as a replacement thumb. The surgery, which took six hours at Saint Mary’s Pros Center in San Francisco, was carried out by a team that included the director of microsurgery and a plastic surgeon. The operation involved detaching and then reconnecting blood vessels, nerves, tendons, and bone. Within two months, Garrett was able to sign his name and button his clothes effortlessly. Over time, his second toe on the right foot shifted to compensate, giving his foot a more symmetrical appearance.
Fun Fact: Toe-to-thumb surgery isn't a modern invention; the first successful procedure was reported in 1969. The thumb plays a crucial role, contributing to 40 percent of the hand's functionality, which is why this type of surgery is recommended following the loss of a thumb.
4. Veterinarian Chang Po-yu - Left Forearm Reattachment
When I first saw the image above, I assumed it was digitally altered, but unfortunately for Chang Po-yu, it was real. In 2007 at the Shaoshan Zoo, Chang was in the process of removing tranquilizer darts before tending to a Nile crocodile that hadn’t eaten in a month. Chang failed to realize that the crocodile was still partially awake. As he reached his arm through the cage bars, the crocodile bit off his forearm. After Chang was rushed to the hospital, a zoo employee attempted to retrieve the arm by firing two shots at the crocodile. Though the bullets didn’t penetrate, they startled the animal enough to make it drop Chang’s arm. Following a five-hour surgery, Chang's arm was successfully reattached.
Fun Fact: The Nile crocodile holds the title as the largest African crocodile species, reaching lengths of up to 16 feet (5 meters). These crocodiles are estimated to cause the deaths of 200 people annually.
3. Sandeep Kaur - Face Reattachment
This is a truly remarkable story, and the inspiration behind this list. In 1994, nine-year-old Sandeep Kaur from India experienced an unimaginable accident when a threshing machine completely severed her face and scalp. The machine caught her braid, pulling her head into the machinery. Her mother, who witnessed the incident, said: “I didn’t know where her face was. Everything was peeled off.” Top Indian microsurgeon Abraham Thomas was on duty when Sandeep arrived unconscious at the hospital, with her face in two pieces in a plastic bag. He successfully reattached her face to her skull and reconnected the arteries. The image above shows Sandeep's face before it was reattached, alongside a photo of her at age 19, ten years after the accident. Today, Sandeep is training to become a nurse.
Interesting Fact: Sandeep Kaur’s groundbreaking surgery is said to have inspired the development of face transplant procedures using donor tissue.
2. Kim Tran’s unidentified boyfriend - Penis Reattachment
During my research into severed penis reattachments, I came across several notable cases, but this one truly stands out. In 2005, in Anchorage, Alaska, a 44-year-old man was breaking up with his girlfriend, Kim Tran. After a heated argument, the two reconciled and decided to engage in sexual activity. The man allowed Tran to tie his arms to the window handle above the bed. At that moment, Tran took a kitchen knife and severed his penis. She flushed the severed organ down the toilet, untied the man, and drove him to the hospital. After finding a nurse, Tran claimed she was leaving to move her car but instead drove home. Police later arrived at her residence and found her cleaning up the bloody scene. After gathering information about the severed penis, the authorities called the local utility company. Workers removed the toilet and tipped it over into the bathtub, and sure enough, the penis had been lodged in the toilet's “S” curve for more than two hours. The severed organ was then placed on ice and rushed to the hospital, where, after six hours, the surgery was successfully performed.
Interesting Fact: Dr. Sarah Troxel, a microsurgery expert trained at Stanford and the surgeon responsible for the reattachment, commented, “I’d say it’s more likely that it might not work very well.” She also jokingly noted that since a woman had severed the penis, it seemed only fitting that another woman should perform the reattachment.
1. Emily Stinnett – Scalp Reattachment
In 2004, four-year-old Emily Stinnett was playing with a friend in her backyard on the swings when a pit bull broke free from its chain and attacked her. The dog bit Emily on her head and dragged her around the yard, tearing off large portions of her scalp. After she was rushed to Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, a deputy sheriff shot and killed the attacking dog. The doctors told the sheriff that Emily could only survive if they found the rest of her scalp. A search around the yard yielded nothing, until it was discovered that the dog had consumed parts of her scalp. The dog’s stomach was cut open, and the scalp was found, quickly rushed to the hospital. The surgeons managed to reattach most of Emily's scalp, but sadly, some of the tissue died despite leech therapy. Emily survived the ordeal, though she endured multiple painful skin grafts.
Interesting Fact: Leeches, as mentioned in Emily’s case, are now commonly used in microsurgery to stimulate circulation in organs with vital blood flow. These include delicate areas such as eyelids, fingers, ears, and even scalps like Emily’s, aiding in reattachment procedures.
+ Israel Sarrio – Left Arm Reattachment
In 2004, 25-year-old truck driver Israel Sarrio lost his lower arm in a severe traffic accident. Doctors in Valencia, Spain managed to reattach the arm, but an infection set in. In order to save the limb, the surgeons had to re-amputate the arm and attach it to his groin. This unique approach allowed the arm to survive by maintaining blood circulation through its veins and arteries while the infection was treated. The arm remained attached to his groin for nine days before it was successfully reattached to his shoulder, after the infection had been cleared.
