WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT: A man who underwent a gruelling face transplant has revealed his incredible transformation less than 11 months after major reconstructive surgery.
Cameron Underwood was left without the majority of his lower jaw, teeth and nose, and with significantly impaired eyesight, speech and mouth function after he attempted to take his own life in June 2016.
The 26-year-old’s remarkable road to recovery started when his mother Beverly Bailey-Potter read about the face transplants being performed at New York University by plastic surgeon Dr Eduardo Rodriguez.
“When we read about what Dr Rodriguez had done for his other patients, we knew he was the only person to whom we would trust Cameron’s life,” Ms Beverly told local reporters.
“We were willing to travel the long distance.”
After Dr Rodriguez performed a series of physical and psychological evaluations to ensure the Californian was a suitable fit for the operation, they proceeded to put him on the waiting list.
He would only have to wait six months, one of the shortest wait times for a face transplant in history, after Dr Rodriguez learned of a potential match following the sudden death of aspiring actor William Fisher.
Not only did the 23-year-old Manhattan resident give Cameron his face, he also donated his heart, kidneys, liver, eyes and other tissues to those who needed them.
With everything in place, the NYU medical team commenced the demanding 25-hour surgery, removing large portions of Mr Fisher’s skull and face, then, with the help of 3D-printed cutting guides and surgical plans, using them to reconstruct Cameron’s jaw, teeth, gums, mouth, lower eyelids, cheeks, nose and nasal passages.
Two years on, the results have left not only changed the lives of Cameron and his family, but also Mr Fisher’s heartbroken mother, Sally Fisher.
Lucky boy!
