LONDON, ONT -- A B.C. man is preparing to make the move to London to begin the process towards a double-hand transplant, a surgery that will be the first of its kind in Canada.
Rick Thompson of Coquitlam B.C. lost both his hands and legs back in 2015 after he went into septic shock from bacterial meningitis.
In February Thompson spoke to CTV News Vancouver about the potential procedure.
"We went through medical testing, psychological testing, and agreed I was a candidate and that they would be proceeding with the surgery," said Thompson.
While he has been selected for the surgery, a first of its kind in Canada, he and the surgical team in London could be waiting a while for the right donor.
Thompson acknowledges there are risks.
"For me, the pros outweigh the cons, and if I can get 50 to 70 per cent function from transplanted hands, then I'm going to go for it," he said back in February.
Thompson’s journey to the surgery began back in 2015 when he came home from work one day feeling like he had the flu.
What turned out to be bacterial meningitis put Thompson on life support for six weeks. Eventually he had all four limbs amputated, a procedure that saved his life.
He has learned how to walk without legs, and can perform everyday tasks without hands, but even with prosthetics he has been pushing for the procedure for real hands.
Thompson won't know when his surgery will be until they have a donor. At that point he will receive a phone call and they will have six hours to re-establish bloodflow into the limbs.
Thompson’s move to London and medical expenses come at a cost.
He won’t be able to return to B.C. for up to three years due to the need for physio and rehabilitation.
A GoFundMe has been set up in his name to help with expenses related to the move and surgery.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Keri Adams, Carly Yoshida-Butryn.
