'Now they can stare in amazement,' says facial transplant recipient
Date October 19, 2012 - 9:43AM
A Virginia man who spent 15 years living as a recluse after suffering injuries in a gun accident says his life has been transformed by a facial transplant.
Richard Lee Norris, 37, received the full face transplant in a 36-hour operation in March. It included the replacement of both jaws, teeth, tongue, skin and underlying nerve and muscle tissue from scalp to neck.
Now, seven months on, doctors say he eats primarily by mouth and can taste and smell.
Richard Norris shown now, during his recovery and before his face transplant seven months ago after he was injured in a 1997 gun accident.
"For the past 15 years I lived as a recluse hiding behind a surgical mask and doing most of my shopping at night when less people were around," Mr Norris said.
"People used to stare at me because of my disfigurement. Now they can stare at me in amazement and in the transformation I have taken. I am now able to walk past people and no one even gives me a second look.
"My friends have moved on with their lives, starting families and careers. I can now start working on the new life given back to me."
Mr Norris continues to gain sensation in his face and is able to smile and show expression. His doctors say the motor function on the right side of his face is about 80 per cent normal, and motor function on the left side is about 40 per cent.
Mr Norris's operation was the 23rd face transplant since doctors began doing the procedure seven years ago.
The transplant was carried out by more than 150 doctors, nurses and other staff, under Eduardo Rodriguez, professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of plastic, reconstructive and maxillofacial surgery at Shock Trauma.
"Our goal for Richard from the beginning was to restore facial harmony and functional balance in the most aesthetic manner possible through the complex transplantation of the facial bones, nerves, muscles, tongue, teeth and the associated soft tissues," Dr Rodriguez said.
"Richard is exceeding my expectations this soon after his surgery, and he deserves great deal of credit for the countless hours spent practising his speech and strengthening his new facial muscles.
"He's one of the most courageous and committed individuals I know."
Much of the research into the technology behind Mr Norris's surgery began in response to injuries suffered by US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
