A former police officer has received the ultimate gift after seven years of constant pain.

The 64-year-old man was shot in 2018. Since then, his leg would not heal properly. He suffered from a broken bone that stayed broken and one leg was shorter than the other.

Walking was a struggle and he lost his independence.

But now, doctors at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town have changed his life. They performed a special surgery that is a first for South Africa.

Usually, fixing a bad bone break like this needs metal frames stuck to the outside of the leg for months. It is painful, uncomfortable, and prone to infection.

This time, the team used a new device called a Fitbone Transport Nail. It works from inside the body to grow new bone and lengthen the leg comfortably.

Professor Nando Ferreira led the team. He says this gives patients a real second chance at a normal life.

'This operation demonstrates how far we have come in building world-class limb reconstruction capacity within the South African public sector,' said Ferreira.

The hospital is one of only a few places in the world that can do this.