Latest news with #InternationalLefthandersDay
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Youngest recipient of shoulder-level hand transplant finds power in her left
SLUG: International Lefthanders Day Surat: For most people, switching their dominant hand is a matter of preference or skill — some, like Albert Einstein, mastered writing with both hands. But for 19-year-old Anamta Ahmad, a young girl from Mumbai and now the world's youngest recipient of a shoulder-level hand transplant, receiving the right hand of Valsad's Riya Mistry in a rare procedure became a fight for survival — a journey marked by tragedy, resilience, and an unwavering will to adapt after losing her right hand in an electrocution accident. Three years ago, a severe electric shock injury forced doctors to amputate Anamta's right hand. The loss was devastating. She admits she was initially angry with her parents for allowing the surgery, but within 24 hours, she accepted the reality and set her mind on adapting to life without it. Determined not to let the accident define her, she began training herself to use her left hand for everything — from writing to daily chores. The first words she penned with her new dominant hand were not of despair but of defiance: "Caution: No Sympathy," a note she pinned to her bedroom wall as a reminder to everyone and herself, that she would not be held back. "Despite the major accident and hand amputation, she secured overall 92% marks in her Class X exams and 98% in Hindi. Maybe the confidence was the major force that helped her survive the transplantation surgery, which is considered rare," said her father, Aqeel. The electric shock had also severely injured her left hand, requiring multiple surgeries to save it. Initially, even using that hand was a challenge. But through determination and relentless practice, she regained strength and dexterity. Immediately after returning home post-amputation, Anamta started practising writing and handling everyday tasks with her left hand. While she took the help of a writer during exams, she continued practising so she could one day do it all herself. Even after undergoing the transplant, she still relies entirely on her left hand, as the new right hand will take time to become fully functional. "I use my left hand for all work — from writing to using a computer. The transplanted hand isn't fully functional yet, and it will take some time," Anamta told TOI. It took her about three months after the amputation to be able to write and manage most tasks with her left hand. In Oct 2022, Anamta was electrocuted while playing on a terrace at a relative's home in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. Nearly two years later, in Sep 2024, she received the right hand of Mistry in a rare transplantation procedure. "My educational institute, Mithibai College, has been very supportive. They allowed me to appear for exams despite long medical leaves, which helped me continue my studies even through hospitalisation and recovery," she said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
The secret advantages to life as a lefthander revealed
Pens on chains at the medical reception desk? Nightmare. Scissors? Impossible. And you may want to rethink a career as a surgeon or hockey player. It's not easy being one of the 10 per cent of left-handed individuals in Australia, given everything from tools to instruments and devices are tailored for the other 90 per cent of the population who are right-handed. While life may be a more complicated for lefties, there are some advantages which are being highlighted today on International Lefthanders Day. Nine-year-old Isla is a proud left-hander. Credit: Kelsey Reid / The West Australian It is widely believed left-handed individuals have an advantage in sports, especially those involving interaction with opponents such as boxing, tennis, table-tennis and fencing. This is attributed to quick reaction times and the element of surprise against opponents who mostly play and train with other right-handed athletes. Research also suggests lefthanders have potential cognitive benefits relating to divergent thinking, visual memory and faster processing of information due to better connectivity between the two sides of the brain. Being left-handed can be attributed to a 25 per cent heritability with the 75 per cent variation accounted for by environmental factors, the nature of which experts are at a loss to explain. What they do know is that while around 10.6 per cent of the world's population is left-handed, there are large variables between different countries. The Netherlands boasts the highest rate of lefties with 13.2 per cent, the United States and Belgium both have a rate of 13.1 per cent, with Canada and Israel (both at 12.8 per cent) rounding out the top five. Korea has the lowest rate of lefthanders with just two per cent followed by Mexico (2.5 per cent), China (3.5 per cent), Japan (4.7 per cent) and Taiwan (5 per cent). Nine-year-old Isla doesn't mind being left-handed because she thinks it makes her more 'unique'. She loves sport and hopes it gives her a competitive edge. She finds it problematic when she is writing on the whiteboard at school and smudges her work but admits the thing she hated most about being left-handed was left-handed scissors. 'Earlier this year I taught myself to cut with my right hand,' she said. 'Right-handed scissors are much better and don't hurt my hand as much.' Nine-year-old Isla is a proud left-hander. Credit: Kelsey Reid / The West Australian Isla sometimes finds it tricky to follow along when someone is demonstrating how to do something using their right hand. 'My art teacher uses a mirror to teach me how to crochet,' she said. Left-handed individuals were once considered to be more creative and have higher IQs but there is little evidence to support these claims. Still Isla is in good company with notable or high-achieving lefthanders scattered throughout history from renowned artist Leonardo da Vinci to former US President Barack Obama. Winston Churchill, a former British Prime Minister was a leftie, as is Prince William. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening is left-handed and eagle-eyed viewers may have spotted that Bart Simpson is too, writing the famous blackboard lines in the opening credits with his left hand. Some of the world's greatest musicians are also left-handed including Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney — who plays a left-handed bass guitar — and Jimi Hendrix who famously played a right-handed guitar upside down. International Lefthanders Day is Wednesday, August 13.
