This is such an awesome story!
Joesph DiMeo was involved in a horrific car accident when he was just 19 years old. He fell asleep at the wheel and flipped his vehicle. Thankfully someone pulled him from the burning car before it exploded. But still he suffered burns over 80% of his entire body and spent three months in a medically induced coma while they worked on him.
But even after countless skin grafts DiMeo was left severely disfigured and unable to use his own hands. But the amazing doctors at the NYU Langone Health were able to do something that's just completely wild.
They transplanted both his hands and his face!
Docs were able to match him up with an organ donor and perform a surgery that has never been done successfully (though it has been attempted twice before).
Nine months into the search, DiMeo's "ideal donor" was located in Delaware. On Aug. 12, 2020 the team began a 23-hour long procedure to transform DiMeo's life. The team worked in shifts and simultaneously on the donor and DiMeo. The donor's hands and face were replaced by 3-D printed organs to match his original appearance.
3-D printed organs!
Here's the before and after and the full story:
