People of the medical field have been known to accomplish some things that would never have been thought possible 30 years ago. There has been incredible feats performed by surgeons and medical professionals around the world, but one of the most extensive and astounding is the facial transplant surgery.
In 2001, a firefighter named Patrick Hardison almost gave his life attempting to rescue civilians from a burning building. In the process, the roof of the burning building collapsed on him and he lost his eyelids, ears, lips, most of his nose, hair, and eyebrows.
He could never find a donor with the correct blood type and someone who matched the features he had (fair skin and light hair). A man by the name of David Rodebaugh died in a cycling accident that year. He matched the same features Patrick had, and he became the donor.
After a year of preparing, the surgery was ready. Over 100 medical professionals were present for the 26 hour operation, which took place in the NYU Langone Medical center. It was the most complex and comprehensive facial transplant to date.
It's humbling to think about, how we go through our lives and never, ever have to think about loosing a part of your physical self, when people loose limbs and extremities saving others. This man almost gave his life saving others and lost his own face in the process. Step back, take a look in the mirror, and imagine going through what he went through. The medical field has come so far, from putting leeches on people to remove the "infectious" blood, to putting a face of one person onto another. This has me excited to see what will happen in future, and how I could be a part of it.
URL: http://metro.co.uk/2015/11/16/former-us-firefighter-has-had-the-most-extensive-ever-face-transplant-5506145/
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