American undergoes face transplant after violent suicide attempt

Cameron Underwood, 26 and originally from California, has come a long way. In June 2016, the man suffered from a very serious depression and tried to end his life by shooting himself in the head. The American survives, but his face is seriously mutilated.

After spending several days in a coma, Cameron found himself completely unable to eat and drink, with great difficulty breathing. His lower jaw fell out and he lost most of his teeth.

To put an end to this nightmare, Cameron consults several surgeons, in the hope of restoring a human form to his face. After several attempts, the young Californian and his mother decided to contact Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, a renowned New York plastic surgeon in Manhattan for having performed two successful face transplants.

The doctor receives them and decides to operate Cameron to make him undergo a face transplant. The man is registered on the list of organ recipients. A few months later, he finds a donor in the person of William Fisher, who died at the age of 23.

“I have a mouth again so I can laugh”

Cameron underwent surgery in January 2017. The operation took 25 hours, required around 100 hospital staff, and was performed using a 3D mask.

“Advances in medical technology allow us to more quickly assess donors and recipients for face transplant surgery and to perform safer and more effective surgeries. But, ultimately, it’s the patient that matters. Cameron has done the work and made the necessary commitments,” said Dr. Rodriguez.

Eleven months later, Cameron is healthy. His face recovers his functions little by little. The transformation is impressive. “I have a nose and a mouth again so I can laugh, talk and eat. People don’t see me as an outsider anymore. Will and his family gave me back what I lost. It was an incredible sacrifice , I will never forget it”, he confides in a video published on the NYU Langone Health center website, the hospital where he was operated.