Shreya Siddanagowder lost both hands after a bus accident in 2016. The engineering student learned ways to use her devices without them while considering whether a transplant could help her regain independence.
In 2017, she received hands from a male donor at Amrita in Kochi. Surgery was followed by intensive rehabilitation and ongoing medical care. Over time, she recovered abilities that mattered in daily life, including writing.
Shreya also described changes in the hands' appearance, saying their initially darker skin became closer to her own complexion. The reason should not be treated as settled. The more important outcome was functional: in a public account of her recovery, she spoke about doing much more for herself. Her surgeon recalled receiving a birthday letter she had written with the transplanted hands.
Sources: MOHAN Foundation: Transplant workshop proceedings Indian Transplant Newsletter: Shreya's first-person recovery account AFP/The Straits Times: Reported changes in transplanted hands