A man without a face is probably what one could call the former firefighter Patrick Hardison, who was seriously injured while on duty.
The rescuer was unlucky, the ceiling collapsed in the building, and Patrick was on fire. But the man managed to get out, he survived.
For 14 years, Patrick lived with a disfigured face, with all the ensuing consequences. The wife, unable to withstand the new difficulties, filed for divorce. With children, he was embarrassed to appear in public.
God only knows what this man went through.
And in 2015, he underwent a transplant – the face of the deceased guy was a good match. However, then Patrick had to “tune” it for himself for a whole year, so that the facial features would take on the correct shape.
But now the firefighter is fully back to normal.
“This operation gave me my life back. A few days ago, my family and I were at Disneyland, and I was swimming with the kids in the pool. But I haven’t done it in 15 years! I feel like a normal person again with a family. Now I can drive my kids to school!” says Patrick.
Patrick was the first person to receive such a skin transplant.
Now he plans to help other firefighters who have been injured saving people.
Patrick did not at all hope to change his life. But now that he has a new face, he can finally get his driver’s license back. The car is what he really missed.
