Despite all odds, brave firefighter survives after undergoing a face transplant after sustaining third-degree burns.
Sadly, it caved in as soon as he stepped into the flames, trapping him. He was immobile due to the terrible burns on his face and chest.
Despite all odds, brave firefighter survives after undergoing a face transplant after sustaining third-degree burns.
Mississippi native Patrick Hardison has a life story that is nothing short of amazing. After a house fire left him with permanent scars on his face and neck, this guy underwent the first face transplant in America in 2015.
Patrick’s life was fantastic up until the awful day in 2001. When requested to help put out a house fire, he didn’t hesitate because he had previously worked as a volunteer firefighter.
Sadly, it caved in as soon as he stepped into the flames, trapping him. He was immobile due to the terrible burns on his face and chest.
“[My mask] was melting to my face,” remembered Patrick. My hose had already begun to melt.
Jimmy Neal, a friend and a first responder, said of meeting Patrick after the incident, “For somebody who does what we do for a living, I’ve never seen anybody burned that bad and was still alive.”
Patrick has third-degree burns on his face and scalp. He also had burns on his head, neck, and upper chest. The fire had damaged his ears, lips, much of his nose, and even most of the tissue in his eyelids.
“I probably didn’t see myself until November. In September, I was hurt,” Patrick told Fox News. “They only made a tiny pinhole in one of my eyelids since they used skin graft to conceal everything. I asked, “Is this it?,” after looking in the mirror. He recalls thinking, “I can’t do this.
This man had to endure over 70 surgeries and other operations throughout the years. He was unable to cover his eyes, and although physicians were able to stitch together skin flaps to save his vision, he was still at risk of going blind.
Patrick was unable to eat and was in excruciating pain. He was unable to acclimatise to this life since he couldn’t face himself in the mirror. Everywhere he went, people were staring at him, and he was barely able to stand being around anybody, not even his kids.
In order to protect himself and blend in, Patrick frequently wore sunglasses and a baseball cap. Additionally, he has fake ears.”I had children. It was simply a difficult moment. I was injured for a week, never had a day off. It happens every day when you go outside in public. And, you know, there’s no way to adequately explain everything, he added to Yahoo! Sports.
When you go to a baseball pitch, you must be ready for the kid who runs off screaming.
As the years went by, Patrick gradually gave up on ever leading a normal life. However, a Frenchwoman by the name of Isabelle Dinoire got a partial face transplant after having her pet dog severely scar her face. This method was revolutionary. It was the very first of its kind. It surely gave Patrick, who was in fact struggling at the time, a glimpse of hope.
Patrick got in touch with Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez at the NYU Langone Medical Centre in New York, who told him that he would perform the transplant if a suitable donor could be found. Even though it wasn’t always easy, a donor unintentionally appeared one day. It had been matched.
Patrick was ready to board the vehicle that belonged to David Rodebaugh, 26, who had sustained a severe head injury in a bike accident and had been declared brain dead.
Nancy Millar, the mother of this young guy, made the decision to give all of her son’s organs, including his face. “You better spare his face, I said. He has a porcelain doll’s face. And he’s a donor; we had discussed that, said Millar.
David would live on via the individuals whose lives he was about to save, including Patrick’s, if someone were to get her son’s face.
Despite all odds, brave firefighter survives after undergoing a face transplant after sustaining third-degree burns.
Mississippi native Patrick Hardison has a life story that is nothing short of amazing. After a house fire left him with permanent scars on his face and neck, this guy underwent the first face transplant in America in 2015.
Patrick’s life was fantastic up until the awful day in 2001. When requested to help put out a house fire, he didn’t hesitate because he had previously worked as a volunteer firefighter.
Sadly, it caved in as soon as he stepped into the flames, trapping him. He was immobile due to the terrible burns on his face and chest.
“[My mask] was melting to my face,” remembered Patrick. My hose had already begun to melt.
Jimmy Neal, a friend and a first responder, said of meeting Patrick after the incident, “For somebody who does what we do for a living, I’ve never seen anybody burned that bad and was still alive.”
Patrick has third-degree burns on his face and scalp. He also had burns on his head, neck, and upper chest. The fire had damaged his ears, lips, much of his nose, and even most of the tissue in his eyelids.
“I probably didn’t see myself until November. In September, I was hurt,” Patrick told Fox News. “They only made a tiny pinhole in one of my eyelids since they used skin graft to conceal everything. I asked, “Is this it?,” after looking in the mirror. He recalls thinking, “I can’t do this.
This man had to endure over 70 surgeries and other operations throughout the years. He was unable to cover his eyes, and although physicians were able to stitch together skin flaps to save his vision, he was still at risk of going blind.
Patrick was unable to eat and was in excruciating pain. He was unable to acclimatise to this life since he couldn’t face himself in the mirror. Everywhere he went, people were staring at him, and he was barely able to stand being around anybody, not even his kids.
In order to protect himself and blend in, Patrick frequently wore sunglasses and a baseball cap. Additionally, he has fake ears.”I had children. It was simply a difficult moment. I was injured for a week, never had a day off. It happens every day when you go outside in public. And, you know, there’s no way to adequately explain everything, he added to Yahoo! Sports.
When you go to a baseball pitch, you must be ready for the kid who runs off screaming.
As the years went by, Patrick gradually gave up on ever leading a normal life. However, a Frenchwoman by the name of Isabelle Dinoire got a partial face transplant after having her pet dog severely scar her face. This method was revolutionary. It was the very first of its kind. It surely gave Patrick, who was in fact struggling at the time, a glimpse of hope.
Patrick got in touch with Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez at the NYU Langone Medical Centre in New York, who told him that he would perform the transplant if a suitable donor could be found. Even though it wasn’t always easy, a donor unintentionally appeared one day. It had been matched.
Patrick was ready to board the vehicle that belonged to David Rodebaugh, 26, who had sustained a severe head injury in a bike accident and had been declared brain dead.
Nancy Millar, the mother of this young guy, made the decision to give all of her son’s organs, including his face. “You better spare his face, I said. He has a porcelain doll’s face. And he’s a donor; we had discussed that, said Millar.
David would live on via the individuals whose lives he was about to save, including Patrick’s, if someone were to get her son’s face.
Nancy observed, “I saw this strength, this strong, manly, burly kind of energy in Patrick when I met him — that David had.”
“David wanted to be a firefighter, and I knew if this guy was a firefighter—he was willing to walk into a fire to save people and risk his own life—then he had the strength that David had.”
Finally, the day of the transplant procedure had arrived. The surgery, which took 26 exhausting hours to accomplish, involved 100 specialists working together.
The risk was so significant that Patrick was given a 50/50 chance of living. Thankfully, it was a huge success. Patrick had a new scalp, face, ears, and ear canals. He also acquired eyelids, allowing him to blink regularly and maintaining his vision.
“Everything in life has a risk,” said Patrick.
“When the time comes, you’ll go—whether you’re lying on the operating table or hit by a car while crossing the street.”
When the swelling went down and he could speak and swallow again, Patrick met his donor’s mother. Nancy only asked Patrick to kiss her on the forehead.
I asked if I might kiss your forehead. said Nancy. “That’s the one thing I wanted to do because when David was little, every night before he went to bed, I kissed his forehead.”
“I’ve been longing to meet her for a year. Simply put, I’m incredibly appreciative, Patrick said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without her. She seems like family. We had no trouble connecting.”
Since the procedure to prevent his immune system from rejecting the face, Patrick has been doing well despite taking anti-rejection drugs. He gained a new life in addition to a new appearance.
He is currently divorcing and working on a book that he believes would encourage everyone who feels stuck in a situation they cannot escape. “Because I want to demonstrate to the world that there is hope. I don’t want individuals who were formerly in my position to believe that this is the only way to live. Not you. Anything is possible, says Patrick.
His recuperation and survival are hailed as miracles. Patrick is a happy man today because of Nancy, Dr. Rodriguez and his staff, and his tenacity.
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