The UCLA Hand Transplant Program is just beginning and the donor came from San Diego. This is not a one person surgery as it took a team of 17. It’s a very long surgery too with beginning at 4:30 am and didn’t finish until 2:30 pm. The match on the hand from the donor as almost identical, good for the patient. The patient is a 26 year old woman who lost her hand in a car accident and this is the 13th hand transplant done in the US. The UCLA hand transplant program was announced in July of 2010. The UCLA Newsroom has posted a video that covers the transplant.