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| Australian man's toe is surgically attached to his hand replacing thumb severed by bull | Australian man's toe is surgically attached to his hand replacing thumb severed by bull |
| (2 months later) | |
| Surgeons have surgically attached a man's toe to where his thumb was severed by a bull in an eight-hour long operation. | Surgeons have surgically attached a man's toe to where his thumb was severed by a bull in an eight-hour long operation. |
| Zac Mitchell, 20, had his entire thumb ripped off after a bull kicked his hand into a fence while working on a remote farm in Western Australia. | Zac Mitchell, 20, had his entire thumb ripped off after a bull kicked his hand into a fence while working on a remote farm in Western Australia. |
| The bull scraped a large patch of skin of Mr Mitchell's hand and ripped out the digit's entire tendon. | The bull scraped a large patch of skin of Mr Mitchell's hand and ripped out the digit's entire tendon. |
| His colleagues tried to preserve the thumb by storing it in ice among some cooled beers. | His colleagues tried to preserve the thumb by storing it in ice among some cooled beers. |
| After undergoing two unsuccessful operations to reattach his thumb, doctors suggested they could replace it with his big toe. | After undergoing two unsuccessful operations to reattach his thumb, doctors suggested they could replace it with his big toe. |
| "The surgeon explained that [a prosthetic thumb] was pretty pointless and useless in a way, so he talked me into getting my toe put on as sort of my last option," Mr Mitchell told Australian broadcaster ABC. | "The surgeon explained that [a prosthetic thumb] was pretty pointless and useless in a way, so he talked me into getting my toe put on as sort of my last option," Mr Mitchell told Australian broadcaster ABC. |
| Dr Sean Nicklin, the lead plastic surgeon, told the BBC he was not surprised it took time for Mr Mitchell to accept the operation. | Dr Sean Nicklin, the lead plastic surgeon, told the BBC he was not surprised it took time for Mr Mitchell to accept the operation. |
| "It is a bit of a crazy idea - they [patients] do not want to be injured in another part of their body," he said. | "It is a bit of a crazy idea - they [patients] do not want to be injured in another part of their body," he said. |
| "[However] even if you have got four good fingers, if you do not have something to pinch against them, your hand has lost a huge amount of its function." | "[However] even if you have got four good fingers, if you do not have something to pinch against them, your hand has lost a huge amount of its function." |
| Mr Mitchell has said the operation hasn't impacted his ability to walk. | Mr Mitchell has said the operation hasn't impacted his ability to walk. |
| "A lot of people think their balance and walking is going to be significantly affected which it generally isn't," Dr Nicklin added. | "A lot of people think their balance and walking is going to be significantly affected which it generally isn't," Dr Nicklin added. |
| Although he will need more than 12 months of rehabilitation, he plans to return to farm work. | Although he will need more than 12 months of rehabilitation, he plans to return to farm work. |
| "It is good news. I'll be able to get back to work and riding bulls and rodeoing," Mr Mitchell told ABC. | "It is good news. I'll be able to get back to work and riding bulls and rodeoing," Mr Mitchell told ABC. |
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