Wounded warrior's pioneering surgery: Soldier who lost all four limbs in blast given double arm transplant

Hope: Brandan shows off his arms

Sergeant Brendan Marrocco, who suffered the devastating injuries in a roadside bomb blast in 2009, said his new arms “already move a little"

 

The first US soldier to survive after losing all four limbs in the Iraq war has been given a double arm transplant.

 

Sergeant Brendan Marrocco, who suffered the devastating injuries in a roadside bomb blast in 2009, said his new arms “already move a little”.

 

Brendan was also given bone marrow from the dead donor of the arms and doctors hope this will help his body accept the limbs with the minimum need for medication.

 

Father Alex said: “He was really excited to get the new arms.”

 

And New Yorker Brendan, 26, added last night: “It’s given me a lot of hope for the future.

 

“I feel like I’m getting a second chance to start over after I got hurt, so I’m just excited for the future now.

 

“I was feeling great before this and I’m feeling a lot better now. I was living life as a happy kid before.

 

"Now I can move my elbow, which is mine, the one I had before. I can rotate a little bit.”

Doctors in Baltimore performed the 13-hour operation a month ago.

Excited for the future: Brandan is delighted with his new arms

But plastic surgery expert Dr W.P. Andrew Lee, who pioneered the ­technique, said it could take years to learn how much movement Brendan will get out of his new limbs.

 

Dr Lee explained: “The maximum speed is an inch a month for nerve regeneration. We’re easily looking at a couple of years until the full extent of recovery is known.”

 

Brendan added: “The right arm doesn’t have much movement but we’re pretty hopeful we’ll get some ­movement out of it.”

 

Brendan’s dad also revealed there had been four similar operations since his son’s in December.

 

The military is sponsoring the surgery to help wounded troops after about 300 suffered the loss of limbs in recent conflicts.

 

All the transplant recipients are said to have done well with most able to take just one anti-rejection drug.

 

Transplant patients usually need to take a mix of medication.

 

Brendan has been hailed as a hero in his home country and has been in the public eye many times.

 

When he and other disabled soldiers visited the September 11 Memorial on American Independence Day last year, brave Brendan revealed how he had no regrets about his military service.

 

He said: “I wouldn’t change it in any way. I feel great. I’m still the same person.”

 

On Facebook, he describes himself as a “wounded warrior … very wounded.”