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Man receives new face, hands in extremely rare transplant

Man receives face and hands in rare transplant (NCD)

A New Jersey man has a new lease on life after undergoing an extremely rare transplant that gave him a new face and new hands.

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Joe DiMeo was severely burned more than two years ago in a car crash, The Associated Press reported.

He had fallen asleep at the wheel after working nights as a product tester at a drug company. His car hit a telephone pole, flipped over and burst into flames.

He had third-degree burns and was placed in a medically-induced coma. He then needed 20 reconstructive surgeries and many skin grafts to help him recover.

Despite all of the procedures, he still was unable to regain full vision or the use of his hands, so his doctors decided to try something that had only been attempted twice before — a face and double hand transplant, the AP reported.

Starting in 2019, doctors tried to find a donor who matched with DiMeo’s immune system, with only a 6% chance of a match. They also wanted someone of the same gender, skin tone and hand dominance.

Early in 2020, the team hit a roadblock due to the coronavirus pandemic, as they were reassigned to work in the COVID-19 wards. Also, organ donation amounts decreased.

Finally, in August, a donor was found and 23 hours later, a team of 140 people replaced DiMeo’s hands at the mid-forearm; and his entire face, including the forehead, eyebrows, nose, lips, ears, eyelids and even facial bones were transplanted from the donor, the AP reported.

Now DiMeo is going through therapy to use his new hands and move his new face.

He can give a thumbs-up and whistle. He also feels his hair on his face, needing to push it away.

He can also dress and feed himself, play pool, and has started working out and practicing golf.

Physical therapist Eric Ross, left, watches as Joe DiMeo lifts weights, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021 at NYU Langone Health in New York. The 22-year-old New Jersey resident had a face and double hand transplant operation last August, two years after being badly burned in a car crash.  “I knew it would be baby steps all the way,” DiMeo said of his recovery. “You’ve got to have a lot of motivation, a lot of patience. And you’ve got to stay strong through everything.” (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

DiMeo will be on anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life.

”You got a new chance at life. You really can’t give up,” DiMeo told the AP.


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