While trying to save a woman he thought was trapped in a house fire, Patrick Hardison suffered severe injuries.
After suffering third-degree burns to his entire face and scalp, this courageous man spent years wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, and prosthetic ears in public.
Children used to flee when they saw Patrick, but in 2015, he had the most thorough face transplant ever, which completely improved his life.
According to sources, Hardison’s chances of surviving the face transplant were 50/50. Nevertheless, the procedure, which required 26 hours and involved two teams of over 100 people, was successful. Patrick Hardison is currently living his life with his cherished wife and kids.
Here is everything you need to know about Patrick’s amazing story and current appearance.
We now know a great deal about the human body. Medical professionals—physicians, nurses, surgeons, and everyone else—are real heroes who go above and beyond to help patients recover. Furthermore, the things that may be done to save lives nowadays are astounding. Consider surgeons with the ability to replace a kidney or a heart.
Face transplant recipient Patrick Hardison
Experts can even alter a person’s entire face for those in need thanks to the knowledge they now possess. Since Isabelle Dinoire became the first person to have a face transplant in 2005, face transplants have been carried out. Patrick Hardison became the first American to receive a face transplant in 2015, marking the completion of another extremely rare treatment in the US.
Like any other devoted parent, Patrick enjoyed spending time with his family and went to his kids’ athletic events. The volunteer firefighter was constantly trying to do his best to serve his town.
But his and his family’s lives would change irrevocably one day in 2001.
After being called to a house fire, Patrick’s head, neck, and upper chest were severely burned. In addition, the fire destroyed most of his nose, ears, lips, and eyelid tissue.
It seems that his life would be filled with kids fleeing away from him and other parents pointing and talking. However, the largest face transplant ever carried out was completed in 2015.
Because the procedure was so complicated, Patrick’s chances of surviving it were only 50/50. He has a completely different face now, and he looks amazing. Here is everything you need to know about Patrick Hardison’s incredible journey.
Earlier in his life, Mississippian Patrick Hardison volunteered as a firefighter. He was responding to a house fire in 2001 when a terrible accident happened.
Deformities caused by a home fire
When the blazing house collapsed on top of Hardison, he was inside.
Hardison remarked, “[My mask] was melting to my face.” “I had already melted my hose.”
Although he was able to escape through a window, Patrick was horribly injured, and his head and upper torso were already on fire.
After the event, friend and first responder Jimmy Neal recalled witnessing Hardison and said, “For someone who does what we do for a living, I’ve never seen anybody burned that bad that was still alive.”
The father’s entire face and scalp were burned in the third degree. He also suffered face burns to his upper body, neck, and head. His lips, ears, most of his nose, and even the majority of the tissue under his eyes were all destroyed by the fire.
It was probably not until November that I truly saw myself. In September, I was hurt,” Hardison told Fox News. Because they had everything covered with skin graft, they had made a tiny puncture in one of my eyelids. “This is it?” was all I could think when I looked in the mirror. “This is impossible,” he remembered.
Hardison had a new life ahead of him. He was still unable to make typical facial expressions despite 71 operations and various treatments. Not only was it painful for Patrick to eat or laugh, but he was also unable to blink or close his eyes.
Eventually, surgeons managed to attach skin flaps to shield his vision. He was still at risk of gradually losing his sight, though.
Patrick struggled to accept his appearance as the years passed. It turned become a misery to be with his kids, or even alone himself. The kids were afraid as people pointed at him.
lost all hope of leading a normal life
In addition to wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap at all times, Patrick also donned specially made prostheses to replace his ears.
“I had children. It was simply a difficult period. I was injured and never took a day off. It was a daily occurrence to go out in public. Additionally, he stated that there is no way to explain everything.
“You have to get ready for the kid who runs off screaming when you go to the ball field.”
Patrick struggled for years with discomfort and people’s stares as he went about his daily business. He was beginning to believe that his deformed appearance would be a permanent curse, and he was losing all chance of leading a normal life.
However, as time passed, surgeons created new techniques for face replacements. Isabelle Dinoire eventually became the first person to receive a face transplant in 2005. However, Hardison had lost all chance of receiving the assistance he sorely needed.
Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez, who was employed at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, was then discovered by a buddy one day. Since Rodriquez had already done a face transplant, the hunt for a donor for Patrick started.
Hardison’s search yielded only two possible donors after a year. Although the tissue profile was not a good match, the first one was.
David Rodebaugh, the face donor for Patrick Hardison
The second applicant had a bright future. But the individual was not taken into consideration by his family.
Hardison was getting ready to face the possibility that he may never receive a face transplant. Then, suddenly, there was another possible donor. A match had been made by LiveOnNY, a nonprofit organization that arranges organ donations in the New York region. The face belonged to 26-year-old David Rodebaugh, who was deemed brain dead after suffering a severe head injury in a bicycle accident.
Following David’s death, Nancy Millar, his mother, made the decision to donate her son’s kidneys, liver, and heart. More significantly, she made the decision to donate his face as well.
“You had better save his face,” I said. His visage resembles that of a porcelain doll. We had discussed it, and he is a donor,” Millar told People.
When she learned about Patrick and the prospect of a face transplant, she didn’t think twice. She saw it as an opportunity for David to survive.
She added, “I noticed this strength, this strong, manly, burly kind of energy in Patrick — that David had when I first met him.”
“David wanted to be a firefighter, and I knew that if this guy was a firefighter, he had the strength that David had because he was willing to risk his life to save people in a fire.”
To prepare for Hardison’s surgery, Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez brought together his team of one hundred physicians, nurses, and other medical assistants. At a staggering 26 hours, the procedure was the most extensive soft tissue face transplant ever done.
The odds of surviving the procedure are 50/50.
Hardison’s face, scalp, ears, and ear canals were all replaced by the medical staff. They chose pieces of bone from the entire nose, cheeks, and chin. In addition, Patrick was given new eyelids, which allowed him to blink normally once more.
But there were risks associated with the procedure. Patrick’s chances of surviving the extremely complicated treatment were only 50/50.
Hardison stated to Time Magazine that “everything in life has a risk.”
“Whether you are lying on the operating table or you are walking down the street and you are struck by a car, you will leave when it is time for you to do so.”
Patrick had what might have been his final encounter with his family before the surgery.
Alison, his oldest daughter, questioned why her father was so anxious to get the surgery done.
“I will not be required to wear a ball cap or sunglasses,” he stated. “Whenever I get to walk you down the aisle, I’ll look normal,” Alison remembered Patrick saying.
“And for me, that was pretty much the final nail in the coffin.”
Thankfully, the surgery went quite well, but Patrick’s journey was far from over at this point. He experienced late-night scares related to blood pressure swings and an unstable airway during the first week after the surgery.
He also had to learn how to swallow and talk again due of the new face, which caused him to experience worry and frustration. His face was so bloated that he was unable to even close his mouth.
“I have a new life because of them.”
The surgery changed the patient’s life in spite of everything. In addition to feeling happy to see his family again, Patrick had the opportunity to meet Nancy Millar, the mother of David Rodebaugh. It came out that Nancy had one request at their emotional first meeting following the procedure.
“May I give you a forehead kiss?” I asked. Millar uttered those words. “I kissed David’s forehead every night before he went to bed when he was little, so that was the one thing I wanted to do.”
“I’ve been anticipating our meeting for a year. Simply said, I’m really appreciative,” Patrick remarked. It wouldn’t have been feasible without her. She is like family. It was easy for us to connect.
Seven years have passed since Patrick had his face transplanted. His life has changed significantly since then; after 10 years of marriage, he and Chrissi got divorced a year after the surgery.
The edema has subsided and Hardison’s face has healed well. He has been given the opportunity to live again, despite the fact that he must take anti-rejection medications for the rest of his life to prevent his body’s immune system from opposing the transplant.
In a statement, Hardison expressed his sincere gratitude to his donor and his family.
“Knowing the tough choice they would have to make to assist me, I prayed for them every day even though I had no idea who they would be.”
“I hope they recognize in me the virtue of their choice. Additionally, I would want to thank Dr. Rodriguez and his incredible crew. I’ve gained more from them than just a new look. I have a new life because of them.
Photos of Patrick Hardison today
The five-time father now hopes to use his experience and recuperation to inspire others that it’s never too late to give up. Patrick wants to assist others who are dealing with crippling injuries because he represents hope.
“I have purchased my own property and am in the process of having a house constructed. In 2021, Hardison said to Fox, “I’m working on a book.
“Because I want to demonstrate to the world that there is hope.” I don’t want those who were in my position years ago to believe that this is the only way I have to live. You don’t. You are capable of anything.
Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez and his colleagues are an incredible inspiration, and Patrick Hardison’s recovery is truly remarkable. The true heroes are you!
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