The fifth person in the U.S. to undergo a hand transplant is being discharged from Louisville's Jewish Hospital, but will stay in down for three months of physical therapy. Forty-three year old Erik Hondusky of upstate New York received his new hand in a nine-hour operation last week at Jewish. Hondusky, who lost his right hand in a workplace accident, says he inquired about a transplant after watching a television program about the first procedure. "I was down here for a week and had to go through a battery of tests. Once I made the tests and they considered me a candidate, I got listed in November of '07 and I got called three days short of a year for the transplant," Hondusky said in an interview with WFPL.Hondusky's new hand came from an anonymous donor. He says he'd like to meet the donor's family if they choose to make contact.All five hand transplants in the U.S. have been performed at Louisville's Jewish Hospital.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.