Hand Difference Does Not Define London

It’s been almost four years since Kerry and her husband, Stephen, had to make the difficult decision to amputate their daughter London’s hand.

As seen in her anatomy ultrasound and confirmed at birth, London was born with a lymphatic malformation on her left hand. Nothing could be done to treat the enlarged hand, and it drew a lot of unwanted attention.

A person with one hand from Kerry’s parents’ church recommended Shriners Children’s. Kerry made her initial call when London was just 1 month old. Kerry remembers an overwhelmingly comfortable feeling when she came to their first appointment. “As soon as we walked in the door, we knew we were home,” she said.

They met with orthopedic hand surgeon and Chief of Staff Scott Kozin, M.D., who examined London’s hand and decided that continually draining the hand was only a temporary fix, and the best option would be to amputate her hand.