The life story of Mississippian Patrick Hardison is nothing short of incredible. After a home fire irreparably damaged his face and neck, this man became the first person in America to receive a face transplant in 2015.
Patrick’s life had been wonderful up until that fateful day in 2001.
He had previously volunteered as a firefighter, so when he was approached to assist with a house fire, he didn’t hesitate. However, the moment he went inside the burning area, it collapsed in, trapping him. He couldn’t move since his face and chest were severely burned.
“For someone who does what we do for a job, I’ve never seen somebody burned that badly and still alive,” friend and first responder Jimmy Neal said of meeting Patrick after the tragedy.
Patrick’s face and scalp were severely burned. His head, neck, and upper chest were all scorched as well. The fire destroyed his ears, lips, most of his nose, and even the bulk of the tissue in his eyelids.
“I probably didn’t see myself until November.” “I was hurt in September,” Patrick explained to Fox News. “They had cut a small pinhole in one of my eyes since they had covered everything with a skin graft.” I stared in the mirror and all I could think was, “Is this it?” “I can’t do it,” he remembered.
This man was compelled to undergo over 70 surgeries and other procedures over the years. He couldn’t cover his eyes, and doctors were able to stitch together skin flaps to safeguard his vision, but he was still at risk of blindness.
Patrick was in excruciating pain and couldn’t eat. He couldn’t look himself in the mirror, thus he couldn’t acclimatize to this existence. Everyone was staring at him everywhere he went, and he couldn’t stand being around anyone, not even his children.
Patrick frequently wore a baseball cap and sunglasses to protect himself and blend in. He also has prosthetic ears. “I had children.” It was just a difficult moment. I never had a day off because of the injury. It was daily when you went out in public. And, you know, there’s no way to explain everything,” he said to Yahoo! Sports.
“When you go to the ball field, you have to brace yourself for the youngster who runs away screaming.”
As the years passed, Patrick gradually gave up on ever leading a normal life. Yet, after her companion dog severely disfigured her face, a Frenchwoman named Isabelle Dinoire underwent a partial face transplant. This procedure was revolutionary. It was the first of its kind. It surely gave Patrick, who was actually struggling at the time, a glimpse of hope.
When Patrick contacted Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez of the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, he was told that if a suitable donor could be identified, the transplant process would be performed. Though it wasn’t always easy, a donor appeared unexpectedly one day. A connection had been created.
David Rodebaugh, 26, was going to board Patrick’s bike after suffering a severe head injury in a cycling accident and being pronounced brain dead.
Nancy Millar, the young man’s mother, elected to give his organs, including his face. “I told him, ‘You better spare his face.’” He has a porcelain doll’s face.’ And he’s a donor – we’d discussed it,” Millar explained.
The prospect of someone inheriting her son’s face meant that David would live on via the people whose lives he was about to save, including Patrick’s, meant that David would live on through them.
“When I met Patrick, I recognized in him this power, this macho, burly kind of vitality that David had,” Nancy recounted.
“David aspired to be a firefighter, and I realized if this guy was a firefighter — willing to step into a fire to save people while risking his own life — he had David’s strength.”
The day of the transplant had finally arrived. A team of 100 experts collaborated to execute the surgery, which took 26 long hours.
Because the risk was so severe, Patrick was given a 50/50 chance of survival. Thankfully, it was a tremendous success. Patrick had his face, scalp, ears, and ear canals replaced. He also acquired eyelids, which allowed him to blink regularly while preserving his vision.
“Everything in life is fraught with danger,” Patrick observed.
“Whether you’re walking down the street and get struck by a car or lying on the operating table, when it’s your time to go, you’ll go.”
Patrick got to know his donor’s mother once the swelling receded and he regained his ability to speak and swallow. Nancy only wanted Patrick to kiss her on the cheek.
“I asked, ‘May I kiss your brow?’” Nancy stated. “That’s all I wanted to do because I kissed David’s forehead every night before he went to bed when he was tiny.”
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting her for a year. “I’m just thankful,” Patrick continued. “That wouldn’t have been feasible without her.” It’s as if she’s a member of the family. That was a simple connection.”
Patrick has been doing well despite the fact that he has been on anti-rejection drugs since the surgery to prevent his immune system from rejecting the face. He not only acquired a new look, but a new life as well.
He is currently divorced and working on a book that he hopes would inspire everyone who believes there is no way out of their current situation. “Because I want to show the world that there is hope.” I don’t want people who were like me years ago to think that’s it, I have to live this way forever. No, you don’t. “You can do anything,” Patrick says.
His survival and rehabilitation have been deemed miraculous. Patrick is a happy guy today because to Nancy, Dr. Rodriguez and his team, and his strong resolve.
