Joe DiMeo‘s life changed forever when he fell asleep at the wheel on U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey on July 14.
DiMeo was driving home from work in August 2018 after pulling a night shift when he fell asleep behind the wheel. A stranger dragged him from the flaming wreckage.
The horrific crash left him with third-degree burns on 80% of his body and a grim prognosis.
More than two months later, when DiMeo, then 20, woke up from an induced coma, his first thought was of his Dodge Challenger SRT, which he had paid for himself and customized with a new exhaust system and wheels.
Now, more than two years later, DiMeo, 22, is the recipient of the world’s first successful double hand and face transplant and is on the road to recovery.
By all accounts, DiMeo was a good-looking young man with an angular jaw and penetrating eyes. But the face even he once admired in the mirror couldn’t do what his hands could do.
After 20 surgeries, his hands were still barely usable, with his fingers reduced to mere nubs. His face was a constant reminder of that awful day.
So DiMeo, of northern New Jersey, went through extensive testing and preparation in hopes of getting a new face and hands from a donor.
In August 2020, DiMeo went to Manhattan, where he underwent surgery at the NYU Langone Health Center. He was scheduled to be the first person to receive a double hand and face transplant, becoming the first person in the world to do so.
The historic surgery involved more than 140 healthcare professionals.
Over 23 hours, they successfully transplanted two hands, three dominant nerves to the hand, six blood vessels, 21 tendons, and a full face, including forehead, eyebrows, both ears, nose, eyelids, lips, and underlying skull, cheek, nasal, and chin bone segments.
Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the medical team, told Good Morning America:
“We knew that it would be a needle in a haystack. We had to actually broaden our search beyond the state of New York, to the entire country, so every state in the country was actually looking for a donor for Joe.”
Face and hand transplants have been performed independently, but this double procedure had been attempted twice before and was unsuccessful both times.
For this procedure, surgeons used computer-generated three-dimensional guides. They ensured that bones were properly aligned and implants were in a position to anchor the grafted face and hands to DiMeo.
Technology aside, a big part of DiMeo’s success owes to his can-do attitude, according to Dr. Rodriguez, director of NYU Langone’s Face Transplant Program.
“He is the most highly motivated patient I have ever met,” Rodriguez marveled during a media briefing.
And while it hasn’t been an easy road, DiMeo told reporters he’s “grateful” and doing well.
“I have been able to get back to many activities I love, such as playing with my dog and playing pool,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back to work.”
Reaching this milestone was no easy feat.
And while it hasn’t been an easy road, DiMeo told reporters he’s “grateful” and doing well.
“I have been able to get back to many activities I love, such as playing with my dog and playing pool,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back to work.”
Reaching this milestone was no easy feat.
DiMeo also expressed his gratitude toward his donor’s family and his desire to thank them in person one day.
“I’m grateful for them to give this gift to me – I don’t know how to thank someone that gives you a second chance at life,” he said.
Since the transplant, Rodriguez has performed several less extensive follow-up surgeries to improve DiMeo’s functional and aesthetic outcomes, and DiMeo is thrilled.
“I am so happy with the results of my transplant,” he said.
Watch the video report below:
Source: AWM