'Now I don't have to worry about people staring': Firefighter's extraordinary face transplant
A former volunteer firefighter who was horrifically burned in 2001 has spoken of the pioneering surgery that has given him a new face.
Patrick Hardison has said his life is back on track after the world's “most extensive” facial transplant, according to The Mirror.
Hardison, 42, suffered severe burns to his face when he and his colleagues fought to save a woman they believed was trapped inside a mobile home, but who had actually gone fishing.
Ever since his face was severely burned, Hardison has been forced to deal with stares from strangers and fear from his own children.
However, a year on from his surgery and his recovery complete, the father-of-five said he has now got his life fully back on track.
“Now I'm just the average guy walking down the street," Hardison said.
“People - they can look at me and tell something's happened, but they would never look at me and think that I’d had a face transplant.
“I’m just a normal dad, and they don’t touch my face and say, ‘Oh my God.’ They don’t think anything about it.
“Most kids when they touch their parents’ face, they don’t think anything about it. It’s part of me and it’s who I am.”
In August last year, Dr Eduardo Rodriguez performed the transplant over 26 hours, giving Patrick the face of David Rodebaugh.
Rodebaugh was a 26-year-old bike mechanic from New York who tragically lost his life in a cycling accident.
"We are amazed at Pat's recovery, which has surpassed all of our expectations," Dr Rodriguez said.
"Most significant is the lack of a rejection episode. We believe this has much to do with the methodical approach we took in the matching process to ensure that Patrick's donor provided the most favourable match.
“Doing so also has allowed us to reduce the levels of certain medications that Pat takes to prevent rejection."
The groundbreaking transplant, performed at NYU Langone Medical Centre in New York, had only a 50% chance of success with Dr Rodriguez saying it was the “most extensive ever performed” and would be a case of live or die.
ALSO READ: Hero firefighter who saved woman's life undergoes most extensive full face transplant
"Kids ran screaming and crying when they saw me," Hardison said.
"There are things worse than dying.
"I thought for years that I would die the way I was after I got injured. I never thought I would be sitting here today after a face transplant.”
