Eight-year-old Zion Harvey was able to do a whole lot of things. He could run, climb and play with his little sister. But unlike most children, there were some things Zion couldn’t do, like swing on the monkey bars or throw a football. That’s because he was missing all of his limbs.

At the age of two, he was diagnosed with a disease called sepsis, a whole-body inflammatory response to an infection. It eventually turned into gangrene in his hands and feet, and as a result, he had to get each one of his limbs amputated.

Although, Zion had successfully learned how to live a happy life without his limbs, his mother, Patti Ray, still searched for a way for Zion to live a “normal” life. In her search for prosthetics, one doctor suggested Zion receive real hands, a suggestion Patti never even knew was possible.

Now, Zion is the first child to receive a double-hand transplant in Philadelphia. “I think he didn’t believe it was happening,” Patti said. “Because when we got [to the hospital] he said, ‘Are we really staying, are we really doing it now?!'”

Doctors performed a surgical procedure on Zion that will forever change his life- they gave him brand new hands. “It was like him being reborn again,” Patti said.

Your heart will sing when you see the bright smile on Zion’s face post-surgery.

Zion Harvey’s journey from disabled young boy, to thriving, able boy will inspire you. Isn’t it amazing what wonders science can do…

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