February 20, 2002
FOR MORE INFORMATION:	Linda McGinity Jackson, Jewish Hospital Barbara Mackovic, Kleinert, Kutz and Associates Hand Care Center, PLLC Kathy Keadle, University of Louisville

HAND TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS
HOPE FOR TWO THUMBS UP

World's first successful three-year anniversary and nation's second one-year anniversary check ups

LOUISVILLE, KY - Matt Scott, the world's first successful hand transplant recipient and Jerry Fisher, the nation's second recipient, will be in Louisville for their yearly check-ups this week. Scott and Fisher will be at a press briefing scheduled for February 22 at Jewish Hospital.

Scott marked his three-year anniversary January 24 and Fisher, celebrated his one-year anniversary on February 16. Both men received their new left hands during surgical procedures performed by a team of hand surgeons from Kleinert, Kutz and Associates Hand Care Center, PLLC and University of Louisville at Jewish Hospital. It is anticipated that both patients may continue to gain strength and movement in their new hands for up to five years.

The news conference is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, February 22 in the Jewish Hospital Rudd Heart and Lung Center, Conference Center, 16th floor, 201 Abraham Flexner Way. The conference will be up linked via satellite: Ku-Band SBS 6, Transponder 5, Vertical Polarity Downlink Frequency 11823 MHZ. The signal will be available at 1:45 p.m. (EST).

The briefing will be held to give an update on both patients' progress by lead hand surgeon Warren C. Breidenbach, M.D., Kleinert, Kutz and Associates Hand Care Center, lead transplant surgeon Darla K. Granger, M.D., University of Louisville, and hand therapist Laurie Newsome, also with Kleinert, Kutz and Associates. Scott and Fisher will be available to answer questions from the media.

Scott, a New Jersey native, age 40, is an instructor at Camden County College. Scott and wife, Dawn, have two young sons. He can use his new hand for everyday living activities including picking up his two sons, opening a car door, turning doorknobs, drinking from a glass, dialing a cell phone, writing his name and tying his shoes. Scott also has hot and cold sensation in the hand. He lost his dominant left hand on December 23, 1985 in a blast from an M80 firecracker accident.

Fisher, age 37, and his wife, Sonya, are the parents of three boys and live in Jackson, Michigan. He is able to move his wrist, hand, fingers and thumb in various motions, can pick up and hold objects, drink from a glass and has sensation in his hand and fingers. In 1996, Fisher, a self-employed contractor, underwent amputation of his non-dominant left hand at the wrist as a result of a fireworks accident involving a three-inch mortar.

The hand transplant program was developed by a partnership of physicians and researchers at Jewish Hospital, the University of Louisville, and Kleinert, Kutz and Associates Hand Care Center. Scott and Fisher's hand transplants are two of the fourteen hands transplanted around the world. Warren C. Breidenbach, III, M.D. led a team of hand surgeons from Kleinert, Kutz and Associates to perform both hand transplants. The pioneering procedure is expected to greatly impact the future of transplantation and reconstructive surgery. Together, the partnership has supported the research initiatives of this innovative procedure along with other procedures to improve the quality of life for patients.

Information, photography, and streaming video relating to the hand transplant are available on our web site at www.handtransplant.com or www.jewishhospital.org.