In 2018, then-20-year-old Joe DiMeo was driving home from a night-shift job in New Jersey when he fell asleep behind the wheel of his car. He lost control and hit a curb and a utility pole before the vehicle flipped over and burst into flames.
As CNN reported, a passerby hauled the man out of the flaming vehicle before it exploded. But DiMeo would still be left with third-degree burns covering 80% of his body. He was placed into a medically-induced coma for the next several months as doctors performed more than 20 reconstructive surgeries and skin grafts in an effort to save what they could.
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DiMeo survived the horrific accident, but his life was radically changed that day.
Damage from the flames left the young man without eyelids, ears, or much of his fingers, which had to be amputated. The scarring on his face and neck was so severe that DiMeo had very limited motion, and his sight was limited from where scars partially covered his eyes.
Once it became clear to doctors that conventional surgeries would be useless, they moved on to a more radical and riskier approach, one which could have fatal consequences if not completed properly.
What his medical team was planning was a historic transplant of both DiMeo’s hands and his face.
“There have been over a hundred hand transplants performed successfully, and close to 50 face transplants,” Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, head of the team, told CNN . “So fundamentally there was no reason why they couldn’t occur together, successfully.”
There had only been two attempts to perform such a high-risk procedure in the world before, but both had been unsuccessful.
The first and most major issue the team ran into prior to attempting the transplants was finding the right donor.
Their search began in 2019. According to Associated Press , doctors estimated there was only a 6% chance of finding a match that would be compatible with DiMeo’s immune system.
They were also looking for someone with the same gender, skin tone, and hand dominance as the young man.
“[Finding] Joe the perfect donor was like finding a needle in a haystack,” Dr. Rodriguez said in a press release .
Then came an entirely unexpected problem: the onset of the coronavirus pandemic saw organ donations plummet.
As cases surged in New York, transplant doctors were assigned to work in COVID-19 wards.
Thankfully, the team was finally able to find their perfect donor in Delaware, and the world’s first double hand and face transplant was scheduled for August 2020.
It took 80 people across six surgical teams and two adjoined operating rooms to complete the surgery.
In one room, the donor’s hands and facial tissue were removed and replaced with 3D prosthetics. In the other room, DiMeo’s own hands and face were removed, readying him for the donor tissue.
His hands were replaced at the mid-forearm with each new hand needing to be connected via nerves, blood vessels and tendons. For DiMeo’s face, the team had to meticulously splice nerves and vasculature together to bring blood and sensation to the new tissue.
After 23 long hours, the surgery was complete.
For the next 45 days, DiMeo remained in the intensive care unit at NYU Langone Medical Center, then spent nearly two months of inpatient rehab.
There, the 22 year old had to learn how to open his eyelids, operate his new hands, and even how to smile again. He was eventually discharged on November 24, but would continue outpatient rehabilitation.
Months later, DiMeo’s medical team have now declared the historic surgery a success.
“Joe was an ideal candidate for this procedure,” Rodriguez said in the release . “He’s extremely motivated and dedicated to recovering the independence he lost after his accident.”
DiMeo has yet to show any signs of rejection in his hands or face. However, while the risk is highest early on, that risk of rejection will last for the rest of the young man’s life.
For now, DiMeo is dedicated to continuing his rehabilitation and training.
As AP reported, he’s currently living with his parents but can dress and feed himself. He’s even started working out again and can bench press 50 pounds.
He told CNN he feels like he’s been given a “second chance at life.”
“There’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” he continued. “You never give up.”
h/t: CNN , Associated Press , NYU Langone
