An ex-soldier who became the second person in US history to have a full face transplant called it “the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Indianapolis resident Mitch Hunter underwent the groundbreaking 14-hour procedure in 2011, a decade after a car he was in crashed into a 10,000-volt utility pole.
After a passenger was pushed out of harm’s way, electric currents pumped continuously through his body, mostly his face, for five minutes.
Mr Hunter, now 42, was hospitalized for two months, underwent 67 facial reconstructive surgeries and was severely burned and required part of his right leg to be amputated.
A decade after the accident, Mr Hunter became only the second person in the US to have a face transplant to stop children screaming in the street at the sight of him.
The father of three received his face from a deceased man.
“The transplant was the best decision of my life and it helped me put the accident behind me and finally move on with my life,” Mr Hunter said.
He shared how he made the decision because he didn’t want his kids to be bullied at school because of his disfigurement.
Mitch Hunter (pictured before transplant) of Indianapolis, Indiana, had a full face transplant in 2011, a decade after a car he was in crashed into a 10,000-volt utility pole. After a passenger was pushed out of the way of the electric current, it pumped non-stop through his body, mostly his face, for five minutes
Mr Hunter, now 42, became only the second person in the US in 2011 to have a face transplant to prevent children from screaming in the street at the sight of him. It took five months for the swelling to subside and for the true features of his features to emerge
Mr Hunter said: “The transplant was the best decision of my life and it helped me put the accident behind me and finally move on with my life.”
Mr Hunter (pictured before the accident) was in a car with his friend and his friend’s girlfriend on a North Carolina freeway when the friend lost control of the steering wheel and plowed into a cone
Recalling his accident, he added: “I can barely remember when the wires touched my face.
“One minute I was helping the injured girl who was trying to get her off the pole, the next I was in the hospital almost a month later.
“I knew my injuries were serious when my mom and stepmom were in the room comforting each other because they usually hate each other.
“No one showed me a mirror for a few days until my ex-girlfriend at the time came to visit and brought one.
“I can’t describe the feeling I had when I saw myself like this, it didn’t feel real — I was unrecognizable.”
He added: “The girl I rescued only had minor burns on her foot, but I sustained full-thickness burns on every inch of my face, along with my hands and right leg.
“The burn on my leg was so severe that I also had to have an amputation below the knee.
“I couldn’t believe how drastically my life had changed in just a few minutes.”
Mr Hunter was driving with his boyfriend and girlfriend on a North Carolina highway when the friend lost control of the steering wheel and crashed into a traffic cone.
The friend jumped out of the car, was hit by one of the fallen wires, and when Hunter pushed her out of harm’s way, she made an electrical connection.
Electricity flowed through his arm, which was grounded by touching the car.
In 2011, Mr. Hunter had a face transplant after receiving the go-ahead from Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Around 30 doctors spent more than 14 hours reconstructing his face during the risky operation
The procedure involved microvascular surgery to connect the two main arteries to the new face so his heart could begin pumping blood to it. Mr Hunter’s new face was harvested entirely from an organ donor, including the skin, soft tissue and cartilage of the nose, beard and eyebrows
Mr Hunter said: “I made the decision for my children because I didn’t want to be the reason they were bullied or rejected at school. “It’s annoying when people scream at the sight of you, and I couldn’t imagine that happening around my own children. “The transplant was the best decision of my life and it helped me put the accident behind me and finally move on with my life.”
HOW DOES FACE TRANSPLANTATION WORK?
People who have been disfigured after a serious injury, were born with defects, or have suffered severe burns may opt for a face transplant.
It is a complex operation that involves screening processes, at least 16 hours of surgery, and medication that must be taken for life.
Once a donor’s face is available, one team of surgeons operates on the recipient’s face while the other prepares the donor’s face.
Medical professionals then connect the arteries, nerves, and veins before connecting the rest of the muscles and nerves.
Patients typically spend a week in the intensive care unit and three to four weeks in a special ward.
They undergo rehabilitation to improve speech, smiling, eating, drinking, blinking, and emotional expression.
The procedure is risky because the body can reject the new face as a foreign body and the immune system fights against it.
Source: Johns Hopkins University
Mr Hunter woke up 27 days after the accident, surrounded by his family, with no memory of the accident.
He required 20 skin grafts from his leg and back to treat the “melted” skin on his face and neck.
Mr Hunter and his girlfriend moved on with their lives, focusing on his recovery after his first facial surgeries, which included the skin grafts available at the time.
But when his girlfriend got pregnant, Mr Hunter looked for new innovations so that his children would not be afraid of his face.
As of 2011, there have only been two successful face transplants in America and 10 worldwide. Around 50 have now been performed worldwide.
That year he had the face transplant after receiving the go-ahead from Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
Around 30 doctors spent more than 14 hours reconstructing his face during the risky operation.
He required microvascular surgery to connect the two main arteries to the new face so his heart could supply blood to it.
Mr Hunter’s new face was harvested entirely from an organ donor, including the skin, soft tissue and cartilage of the nose, beard and eyebrows.
It took five months for the swelling to subside and for the true features of his features to emerge.
Mr Hunter said he underwent the transplant because he “didn’t want his children to be embarrassed by him in the future”.
With a full beard and a face full of emotion, he is now unrecognizable.
Mr Hunter said: “Oddly enough, I can grow my beard that once belonged to the donor, which is really odd!
“I made the decision for my children because I didn’t want to be the reason for them being bullied or ostracized at school.
“It’s annoying when people scream at the sight of you, and I couldn’t imagine that happening around my own children.
“The transplant was the best decision of my life and it helped me put the accident behind me and finally move on with my life.”