Farmer Karl Merk, who lost his arms in a 2002 combine harvester accident, demonstrated the progress he has made by scratching the back of his head with his right hand and squeezing rubber discs at a news conference near his home in southern Germany.
In July 2008 he underwent a 15-hour transplant at the Munich University Clinic by a team of 40 doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists.
His doctors originally thought it would take up to two years before the nerves in his arms would regrow sufficiently to permit movement, but the 55-year-old has made more progress than expected through an intensive program of physiotherapy and electric stimulation.
“My biggest dream is just that my fingers will keep improving, that I can pick things up and just be self-reliant again,” Merk told reporters. The Associated Press
