Luka Krizanac, a patient from Switzerland, recently returned to Philadelphia for a visit to Penn Medicine, the hospital where he underwent a life-changing double hand transplant, writes Stephanie Stahl and Brad Nau for CBS News Philadelphia.
For the first time in 17 years thanks to the transplant, Krizanac is able to text on his phone or pick up a bottle of water.
“It gives me so much joy to be able to do that completely on my own,” he said.
The 29-year-old was 12 when an improperly treated case of strep throat turned into a deadly sepsis infection. He had both his hands and legs amputated to survive. While prosthetics worked for his legs, they were not useful for his hands.
“You need your hands to survive, you need it for the most basic independence in life,” said Krizanac.
So his family turned to the world-renowned transplant team at Penn to help him fulfill his dream.
After moving to Philadelphia and enduring a long wait, they received a call from the Gift of Life. Following a 10-hour surgery, Krizanac had hands once again.
While he admits to still needing a lot of help, Krizanac said he is regaining more function every week.
Read more about Luka Krizanac and the Penn doctors who changed his life at CBS News Philadelphia.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA.Today in June 2025.
