'The Man With Three Faces' Has Second Transplant
Umer Jamshaid Published April 17, 2018 | 10:50 AM
Jerome Hamon is getting used to his new soubriquet "the man with three faces". He remains in a Paris hospital, three months after undergoing his second face transplant, but has quickly accepted his new "identity"
Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Apr, 2018 ) :Jerome Hamon is getting used to his new soubriquet "the man with three faces". He remains in a Paris hospital, three months after undergoing his second face transplant, but has quickly accepted his new "identity".
His new face remains smooth and motionless, with his skull, skin and features yet to be fully aligned, a gradual process reliant on immunosuppressant drugs which, hopefully, will prevent his body rejecting the transplanted material.
"I feel very well in myself," the 43-year-old transplant recipient told reporters last week as he continues his recovery from the surgery which was carried out on January 15 and 16. "I can't wait to get rid of all this," he adds, speaking with difficulty of all the major treatment he has undergone to become the first man to have received two face transplants.
This unprecedented feat was painstakingly carried out by the staff at the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, and Laurent Lantieri, a professor of plastic surgery, who led the team through the multi-step procedure.
It was a strange reunion for patient and doctor as it was Lantieri who carried out the world's first full face transplant, including tear ducts and eyelids, on Hamon at a hospital outside Paris in July 2010.
- Two months without a face - Hamon suffers from neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic mutation which causes severely disfiguring tumours and related complications. His first face transplant in 2010 was a success.
But that same year -- in order to treat nothing more than a common cold -- he was given an antibiotic incompatible with his immunosuppressive treatment. In 2016 he began to display signs of transplant rejection, and his new face deteriorated.
Last summer Hamon was hospitalised and in November his face, suffering from necrosis, had to be removed.
He remained in hospital without a face for two months, a very difficult time, while a compatible donor was sought.
This exceptional case revealed an exceptional patient. Everyone at the hospital "was blown away by Jerome's courage, his will, his strength of character in a tragic situation. While he was waiting he never complained, he was even in a good mood," recalled Bernard Cholley, an anaesthetist.
Eventually, a face donor was found, a 22-year-old man who had died hundreds of kilometres from Paris. Lantieri heard the news on a Sunday in January and the massive logistical and medical operation was swiftly launched.
The donor face was transported as quickly as possible by road on the Monday to the Georges-Pompidou hospital in Paris. By late morning the following day, Hamon was being wheeled back to his hospital bed following the ground-breaking surgery, with his medical team noticing encouraging signs of good colour in his new face.
- 'It's good, it's me' - The operation answers a key question for Lantieri and the rest of the medical world; "Can we redo a facial transplant? Yes, we can re-transplant and this is what you get!" To avoid any rejection, the patient underwent three months of special blood treatment prior to the transplant, nephrologist Eric Thervet explained.
Despite all the anxiety and suffering, Hamon is a happy man again. "The first transplant I accepted immediately. I thought 'this is my new face' and this time it's the same," he explained. "If I hadn't accepted this new face it would have been terrible.
It's a question of identity... But here we are, it's good, it's me." There have now been around 40 face transplants throughout the world since the first was performed on Frenchwoman Isabelle Dinoire in northern France in 2005.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 28 May 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 28 May 2024
North Korea's military satellite launch fails as rocket explodes mid-flight
Increase in FED rate on cigarettes advised for health, revenue collection
Hardik Pandya's wife Natasha responds to divorce rumors
Secretary Information Pakistan Muslim League Quied-e-Azam Khawaja Rameez Hasan c ..
Federal, KP govts agree to jointly work to overcome power losses
Govt announces public holiday for Youm-e-Takbeer on May 28
PCB Women's University Cricket Tournament 2024 to kick off tomorrow
The Game-Changer: 5 compelling reasons to embrace gaming phones
PMD forecasts thunderstorm, rain amid scorching heatwave
Security forces kill 23 terrorists in KPK
More Stories From World
-
Celtics sweep Pacers to reach NBA Finals
28 minutes ago -
Bangladesh skipper calls for better wickets ahead of T20 World Cup
48 minutes ago -
UN agency says survivors 'unlikely' from Papua New Guinea landslide
1 hour ago -
'Dream come true' as Uganda prepare for first cricket World Cup
1 hour ago -
'We're leaving': Brazilians pack up after repeat floods
1 hour ago -
Israel slammed over Rafah strikes
2 hours ago
-
State of emergency lifted in New Caledonia
2 hours ago -
N Korea says spy satellite launch ends in failure
2 hours ago -
Ukraine's Zelensky to visit Belgium Tuesday
2 hours ago -
10,000 demonstrate in Paris against Israeli Gaza offensive
2 hours ago -
Zelensky urges allies to use 'all means' to force Russia into peace talks
2 hours ago -
Fans' tears flow as 'legend' Nadal bows out at French Open
9 hours ago