Some young women, like Jemima Thompson, one of the first New Zealanders to have this surgery, says this 83-year-old surgeon is a pioneer and he saved her life.

I've made it to my 18th birthday.

I have a job.

I've got to go back to dance.

I go to school almost completely full time.

I'm going off to uni next year.

Yeah.

That placebo effect got my blood going to all the right organs

I actually have classic Ehlers-Danlos syndrome crossover hypermobile with Marfan syndrome on top of it.

Having hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is kind of crazy.

You know, I can touch my thumb to my wrist.

Jemima, now 18, cannot praise Professor Sandman enough.

He listened to what I missed in my life, which was dancing and friends, and he reassured me what I'd be able to do and when I'd be able to do it, which was like the biggest thing because I didn't just want the surgery to feel better, I wanted it so that I could live better.

83-year-old Professor Willem Sandman works from a private hospital in Dusseldorf, and many of his patients rave about his results, like Jemima Thompson.

Oh, he's a lovely, lovely man.

He's

amazing.

He really, really focuses on... ..not just life, but, like, living it.

Like, being able to...

He listened to what I missed in my life, which was dancing and friends.

I didn't just want the surgery to feel better, I wanted it so that I could live

83-year-old Professor Willem Sandman works from a private hospital in Dusseldorf, and many of his patients rave about his results, like Jemima Thompson.

Oh, he's a lovely, lovely man.

He's

amazing.

He really, really focuses on... ..not just life, but, like, living it.

Like, being able to...

He listened to what I missed in my life, which was dancing and friends.

I didn't just want the surgery to feel better, I wanted it so that I could live