Thumbs up: Man has big toe grafted onto hand
A British man who lost his thumb in a DIY accident has had his big toe grafted on to his hand.
29-year-old tradesman James Byrne lost his thumb while sawing through a piece of wood last December.
Doctors initially attempted to re-attach the thumb, but had to remove the dodgy digit after James' body rejected it.
James' consultant, Umran Khaz, then made the radical suggestion of amputating his dominant toe and attaching it in place of the thumb.
Two teams of surgeons worked for eight hours on the delicate micro surgery, with one removing the big toe while the other operated on the hand.
Two months later James has a working thumb – which he has nick named ‘Toby’.
'I never thought it would work but the surgical teams and nurses have done such a fantastic job. The care has been amazing,' he told The Daily Mail.
'I can't bend it yet but I hope to be able to do so soon. It rotates and I can give it a good wiggle.
'I am so, so pleased that I had it done. It is just such a relief that I'll be able to get back to work soon.'
Doctors say James will have to learn how to balance again, but he should be back working and playing footy by early next year.
'The loss of a great toe is not as disabling as losing a thumb, so the loss far outweighs the gain.' Mr Kahn said.
James says he's had a mixed reaction to 'Toby'.
"Some think it's really funny while others are a bit disgusted by it", he said.
When I meet people, they ask 'what did you do to your thumb, it's so big and swollen'. They can't believe it when I tell them it's actually my toe instead."
