Oklahoma Girl Needs Hand transplant After Car Accident

The family of a 1-year-old Oklahoma girl is hoping she will be a candidate for a hand transplant.

The little girl's hand had to be amputated after a car accident. Hand transplants are very rare, especially a pediatric hand transplant. In fact, the procedure has never been performed in Oklahoma and only a small number of times in the world.

“She likes to dance and sing music,” Malaysia’s mother, Lenisha Nichols said.

But little Malaysia isn't singing or dancing anymore. About a month ago she and her older sister were with their mother visiting a friend in the hospital. Like any youngsters they got cranky. So their mother asked a friend to take them home.

“Twenty, 30 minutes later I get a call from the hospital saying my kids were in a bad accident,” Nichols said.

Both girls were hurt. Malaysia's 4-year-old sister had skull fractures. She is now better now and back in school. Malaysia, too, had skull fractures, but doctors had to amputate her hand.

“There was no saving her hand,” Nichols said.

From OU Medical Center she went to The Children's Center in Bethany where she has been for the last two weeks recovering. Even though she can't physically sing right now, music therapy is helping her heal emotionally.

“I just got over a lot of crying, but seeing her hand, that’s the worst,” her mother said. “I still cry seeing it. When they clean it, I’m not around, because I don’t want her to see me cry.”

Nichols set up a go fund me account to help pay for the surgery.