From handsome man to old man: in the USA, for the first time in the world, a 22-year-old boy was successfully transplanted

In 2018, in one of the small cities in America, there was a car accident – 22-year-old Joe Dimeo was returning home after a night shift and fell asleep at the wheel. The car crashed into a tree and caught fire.

The young man received third-degree burns. 80% of his body was affected. Doctors had to amputate Dimeo’s fingertips. The victim also lost his lips and eyelids.

Joe spent four months in the burn department – two months he was in an artificial coma. Dimeo had to go through 20 plastic surgeries, but hand motility and facial expressions were never restored. 

In 2019, Joe was sent to NYU Langone Academic Medical Center in New York. It was there that a year later he underwent a face and hand transplant. For the first time in history, such a procedure was successful!

“Such gifts come only once in a lifetime. I hope that it will be a little easier for the donor’s family if they know that a part of him continues to live in me. My parents and I are very grateful that they gave me this second chance, ”Joe admitted in his interview. 

The plastic surgeon Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the operation, also commented on the result: “Our operation was not only meant to improve the way he looks. We wanted everything to work perfectly for him, especially his hands. “

According to Rodriguez, Joe is “the most motivated patient”: “He dreams of playing sports, loves golf, wants to start playing again. It always amazes me how much weight he is able to lift and what a great compression force he has. ” 

After the operation, Joe went to the intensive care unit for 45 days, and then spent another two months in the hospital. There Dimeo learned to reopen his eyelids and use his new hands.