For the first time two-year-old Mark Spira will be able to use his right hand to pick up and play with his favourite toys.

As Mark developed in the womb, strands from the uterus lining were choking his tiny hand like a rubber band, causing his foetal fingers to be amputated above the first knuckle and fuse together as one.

Intricate eight-hour microsurgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital involved reattaching minuscule veins, arteries, bones and ligaments – some barely a millimetre thick – to the new transplant site.

Paediatric hand surgeon David McCombe said the second toe from each foot was used so as not to affect balance, and they would grow normally once transplanted.

“It’s a big deal for a family to accept the concept,” Mr McCombe said.

Mark’s father Enver said, “You can’t put a price tag on what they’ve done. The doctors, surgeons, nurses are so gifted and we are so grateful”.

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