Historic Surgery Leaves Man With New Hands, New Face, And 'Second Chance At Life'

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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