Double Arm Transplant Breathes New Life into Marine’s Childhood Dream

He lost his four limbs in combat six years ago…but this 31-year-old Marine says he is one step closer to a new dream, thanks to a double arm transplant.

It took surgeons 14 hours to give Sergeant Jon Peck new arms at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in August.

The arms came from a donor who had died only 36 hours before the surgery.

Peck says this person will never go unnoticed.

“My deepest condolences to my donor’s family.  I’m not even going to try to know what you are going through at this time but I will tell you this: your loved one’s death will not be for nothing.  Every day that I look down at our new arms, I will drive on through the pain and I will never give up.”

Peck suffered a minor setback when his body began rejecting the transplant, but after an adjustment of his medication, began on the road to recovery.

Doctors say he is meeting his milestones and Peck says with his new arms, it will help him realize a dream he has had since he was 12 years old.

“I plan on going to culinary school, traveling to Paris and Italy to learn about their techniques, coming back and competing on the next Food Network Star to hopefully here Giada and Bobby Flay, John Peck, you are the next Food Network Star,” laughed Sgt. Peck.

Peck says the first thing he hopes to accomplish is holding his wife’s hand and feeling it.