22-year-old New Jersey resident Joe DiMeo had a rare face and hands transplant last August. In 2019, DiMeo fell asleep at the wheel after working a night shift as a product tester for a drug company. The car hit a pole flipped(快速翻转) over, and burst into flames. Another driver who saw the accident pulled over to rescue DiMeo.
Afterward, he underwent 20 surgeries and many skin grafts(移植) to treat his third-degree burns. Once it became clear that traditional surgeries couldn't help him regain full vision or use of his hands, DiMeo's medical team began preparing for the risky transplant Almost immediately, the team encountered challenges including finding a donor(捐献者). However, about two years later the team finally identified a donor in Delaware and completed the 23-hour procedure a few days later.
US surgeons have completed at least 18 face transplants and 35 hand transplants, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing(UNOS), which oversees the nation's transplant system. But the face and double hand transplant is extremely rare and had only been tried twice before. The first attempt was in 2009 on a patient in Paris who died about a month later from complications(并发症). Two years later, Boston doctors tried it again on a woman, but had to remove the transplanted hands days later.
As with any transplant, the danger of rejection is the highest early on, but lasts endlessly. "You're never free from that risk," a doctor said. "Transplantation for any patient is a process that plays out over a long period of time. " Still, the doctor was amazed to see that DiMeo was able to master skills like zipping up his jacket and putting on his shoes. "It's very pleasing and satisfying to all of us. "
So far, DiMeo has not shown any signs of rejecting his new face or hands. "You got a new chance at life. You really can't give up," he said.
