PITTSBURGH -- Valarie Kepner was so excited at learning last fall that doctors might be able give her husband new hands that she called the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center without telling him first.

Jeff Kepner, 57, had lost his hands and feet a decade ago to sepsis that developed from a strep infection. On Monday, he became the first person to undergo a double hand transplant in the United States and the second person to undergo a hand transplant through the hospital's new hand transplant program.

Kepner is a resident of Augusta, Ga., and a native of Lancaster, Pa.

VIDEO: Watch The Channel 11 News Report
INTERVIEW: Watch Vince Sims' Entire Interview With The Patient's Wife

Channel 11's Vince Sims spoke one-on-one with his wife Valarie Kepner on Friday, who told him her husband is recovering well.

“He really is doing great,” Kepner said. “His body is still recovering so he does sleep a lot."

There were ten surgeons plus assistants in the operating room. They broke up into four teams with two teams working on each hand. Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee was the chief surgeon.

“So far our patient is doing very well,” Lee said. “He is recovering in the intensive care unit with very good circulation in his transplant hand so he is making excellent progress."

Lee said, "We also expect that he will have movement in his hand and be able to do grip and grasp and maybe even some movement with dexterity."

"It's awesome. It really is,” Kepner said. “It's so hard to explain after ten years to actually see him with hands. It's unbelievable."

Earlier in the week, Valarie Kepner had said, “I want him to be able to hold our daughter’s hand and hold his grandchildren’s hands someday. I know that sounds silly, but to be able to touch again is important. When you’re missing both hands, you’re not able to do that.”

"I think he's really excited," she said. "Just being able to look down and kinda see the fingertips, you know, which really is the only thing that's showing at this point, I think is really neat for him. He kinda keeps looking down and looking at them. It's kinda cool."

After retiring from the Air Force, where he was the slow-pitch softball team's pitcher, Kepner went to school to become a pastry chef, she said. He has a 13-year-old daughter and looks forward to playing with her. He also has two adult children and two grandsons.

"He keeps teasing our choir director that he wants to play a piano duet with her," Kepner said. "Even if he could only play 'Chopsticks,' she would be thrilled."

Over the years, he adapted to his prosthetics -- he can drive and works at Borders -- but he relied on Valarie to shower and help dress him.

When she first told him about the possibility of surgery, "He was kinda like, 'OK, but you know, I can do all these things with my prosthetics. I've already learned how to do all this. I'm not sure this is something I would want to do."'

Meetings with UPMC doctors allayed his concerns, she said.

UPMC developed a protocol that aims to reduce the amount of toxic anti-rejection medications that must be taken so that the hands are not rejected, said Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, chief of plastic surgery. The medications can increase the risk for diabetes, infections and other complications.

So Kepner decided to go ahead with the procedure, also with the hopes that the procedure may become more commonplace and help others, Valarie Kepner said.

The Kepners flew to Pittsburgh on Sunday after the hands became available. According to the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, the donor was a 23-year-old Pennsylvania man and the father of a 1-year-old son.

"The donor comes from a close-knit Christian family who is praying for Mr. Kepner and his family and asks that others keep the recipient and family in their thoughts and prayers," CORE said in a statement. The man's heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys and tissue went to other recipients.

"My heart just goes out to the family," Valarie Kepner said. "They've been in our prayers that they've had this happen to them," Valarie Kepner said. "We could never thank them enough."

He'll likely remain at UPMC for another several weeks, then remain in Pittsburgh for several months while undergoing rehabilitation therapy.

Eight double hand transplants have been performed abroad. Last month, French physicians performed the world's first simultaneous partial face and double hand transplant.