'The sun will rise tomorrow': US man 'given second chance' after face transplant

ITV News’ Graham Stothard reports on the remarkable “life-giving” operation

Warning: this article contains details and images that some readers may find distressing.

A US man says he’s been give a “second chance” at life after undergoing a “miracle” face transplant ten years after he suffered catastrophic facial injuries.

Over the past decade Derek Pfaff has undergone 58 reconstructive surgeries but was still missing a nose, his upper and lower jaw, teeth, his eyelids and part of his forehead bone. He was unable to chew or speak easily.

“There was still a lot of work that needed to be done, and there was really nothing more that the hospital or facility could do for him,” his mother, Lisa Pfaff, said.

At the time, she said, a doctor told her: “The only option for Derek is a face transplant.”

Mr Pfeffer found it hard to eat, drink and breathe before his face transplant. / Credit: Mayo Clinic via CNN Newsource

One of the key aspects of the surgery was bringing back a smile to Mr Pfaff’s face. / Credit: Mayo Clinic via CNN Newsource

Pfaff, 30, is now one of just several dozen people in the world who have successfully received a life-changing face transplant.

The operation took a team of more than 80 over 50 hours to complete and his mother called it “just a miracle”.

A key part of the surgery was bringing a smile back to Mr Pfaff’s face through building muscles around the mouth.

“You should see a smile on his face […] that part of the surgery is what really creates success,” Dr Samir Mardini said. “It’s not a lifesaving procedure, but it’s a life-giving procedure”.

Derek said that he “looked like a person again” after his face transplant

They surgically removed a donor’s face and implanted this tissue onto Derek’s. His reconstructed face is about 85% donated, said Dr Mardini who led the surgery.

The team had to do the surgery digitally first, working out how they would perform the surgery on a computer, before Derek went into the operating theatre. They printed a 3D model of the transplant ahead of time which they referred to during the surgery.

Following the surgery, Derek was told to wait about a month before looking at his new face, and in that time, Mardini said, his patient met with a psychiatrist to prepare for the big reveal.

“He wasn’t allowed to have a camera, his phone, his iPad,” Derek’s mother Lisa said. “The mirror in the bathroom was covered so he couldn’t see himself.”

Derek’s injuries were caused by a failed suicide attempt when he was a 20-year-old student in March 2014.

Exactly ten years after that fateful night was when Derek was finally was able to see his new face for the first time.

Mr Pfaff saw his new face for the first time ten years after he attempted to take his own life. / Credit: Mayo Clinic via CNN Newsource

“We turned a really sad, hard day into a really joyful experience for Derek, and it was just a miracle – a miracle for him to see himself,” his mother said.

While at the hospital, Derek looked in a mirror. He said that he “looked like a person again” and that he had been given “a second chance.”

He can now express emotions on his face: joy, laughter, sadness and disappointment. He can speak much more clearly and easily.

He works out twice a week, trains with a speech therapist and takes immunosuppressive drugs to reduce the risk of transplant rejection, which happens when a transplant recipient’s immune system attacks the donor’s organ or tissue. He will continue to take these medications for the rest of his life.

Overall, Derek said, he is “doing well.” He is excited about his future and now wants to “help others” by raising suicide awareness.

“The sun will rise tomorrow,” he said. “You just have to stay positive, no matter what the situation is. Look past the down.”

“We’re so proud of [him] and everything that he has overcame over the last 10 years with a fighting spirit and staying positive,” his mother said.