IamA Face Transplant Recipient AMA!

What's the Many-Faced God like?

I'm great

My 15 yr old son was shot with a 12 gauge shot gun in the face. He is 2 weeks post op for the mandibular reconstruction. They doctors don't seem very confident in how to repair the mid face area. We have thought about a transplant, but are worried about the long term meds that go along with it. Also wether he will still look like himself, or someone else. What is your medication regimen like?

4mg of prograf bid, 1000mg cellcept bid, 10mg prednisone once day.

I can gt him in contact with my team.

"You get a face! And you get a face! And you get a face!"

lol I need to make that into a meme

https://i.imgflip.com/161uxw.jpg

Hell yeah!

So how do we know this is actually Mitch Hunter, and not just some guy with his face?

lmao I see what you did there

Well since you are replying to everyone, I can only hope it's not too late.

Nowhere in the old AMA or here did I find anyone congratulating you on your bravery. I mean, you just went and saved a person's life with full awareness of what you are exposing yourself to. I'd like to believe I would do something like that in your place, but let's just say the set of people I'd do it for is much smaller and pretty much restricted to my special other, and that's only because she is sweet. You know, like there are survivors, there are gangsters, there are academics, well she is just a sweet person and I would die if anything happened to her.

But you did that man. You actually went and did that. All the news talking about you as a victim, while in reality, rather than "suffer", you acted against. How crazy is that? You first saved a person's life, then endured 5 minutes of agony, and are now doing all you can to reintegrate by looking good for your children, even though maybe you were ok with yourself the way you looked before the full transplant.

Sometimes I get anxiety episodes because of how my hair looks or something stupid like that. I respect you and admire you. Not as a guy who is not self-conscious though, but as a man who acts in given situations. To me, that is what ideally life should be all about, and people who do that, no matter how invisible, are so way beyond my league of egomaniacs.

Best comment so far, thanks a lot for that! People like you give m hope for humanity!

Do you like the movie FaceOff?

Love it, I even do the hand from face that Nick Cage did.

Does the facial hair grow normally?

Yes.

https://imgur.com/Losp7JO

How do you feel about the Oxford comma?

It's a must

I have to say the result of the transplant is surprisingly good. I, like many others I'm sure, was aware of this procedure but didn't realize just how "normal" the result would be.

Can you give us an overview of the transplant and healing process, and timelines for when you started to gain sensation and muscle control? Thanks!

The transplant it self took a little over 14 hours which involved debriding all my scarred tissue, then preparing the blood vessels and nerve endings to be attached to the new face. Once they placed the new face on, a lot of micro surgery was done, but surprisingly they only connected 3 nerve endings, both sides of my cheeks and forehead.

The healing process to almost a year for it to finally settle in and look somewhat normal. I started gaining sensation about 6 days after the surgery, it wasa tickling/tingling sensation. Within the first year I had gained back about 50-60% sensation.

Now five years out I have 100% sensation. The muscle control is pretty good, still learning to use mt lips better though, as I can't smile big and show my teeth. But I can raise each eyebrow individually!

I can only raise one of my eyebrows on its own. I am very impressed.

Just practice and you will get both eventually.

Did you (or are you still trying to) get used the new look, since you are literally wearing another person's face?

I'm sorry if this sounds offensive.

I look a lot like myself to be honest, your bone structure gives you your appearance.

Don't wirry about offending me, it's damn near impossible, I make fun of my shortcomings all the time!

a fuckin face transplant? what happened? you look normal, by the way. thanks for taking the time to do an AMA

Googling my name will give you the full story or looking up my old AMA, but to make a long story short, I was in a car accident, driver hit a utility pole, the female passenger was struck by a down wire and I pulled her off and got blasted myself, 10k volts 7 amps for roughly 5 mins. Majority of the electricity exited my face.

yikes. glad you are still with us man. i always thought eating that kind of electricity would just blow your heart up or something

According to electricians, I shouldn't have a physical body! Thanks bro!

He survived 10k volts of electricity for 5 minutes due to this one simple trick!

Electricians hate him!

Lol

Have you had any contact with the donor's family and friends? If so how did they react to seeing you with their loved ones face? How has your family reacted to your new face?

I met the family a few weeks after the transplant. Now when I go to Boston, we hang out, grab dinner and some drinks. The meeting was very emotional for all of us.

My family still sees me as me, they have adapted quite well.

meeting the family must have been a strange experience for them i assume you dont look exactly like he did due to skull structure but it must have been a strange ''invasion of the body snatchers'' moment seeing his face but having a different personality and voice

I look nothing like the donor. They see me as me too, they don't see any resemblance to their son.

Oh hey, Boston! I'll have to look out for you sometime. :)

I'll be there this Monday the 20th for a week.

Cool! Go around Back Bay at all?

Do you live there? We should grab a beer!

That seems like it would be one of the more difficult, or at least stranger aspects, the association of identity with facial features. This whole experience has to have given you some kind of singular insight into that. Congratulations on coming through what must have been a tremendously difficult experience, you seen to have a good attitude after all you've been through. Shit, electrical shock like that is so terrible. Neurologically is everything evened out, and did that have any impact on your adaptation to the new face?

The electric shock has only messed with my memory.

Thanks for your kind words!

Do you take anti-rejection drugs? If so, will this be for the rest of your life?

Yes, and yes.

Have you had to reintroduce yourself to anyone that didn't recognize you?

Quite the opposite, the electricity did a number on my memory and I see people all the time i use to know but can't remember, so I have to act like I do until I figure out who they are or someone tells me. Kind of sucks lol.

Do you have any problems forming new memories or does this just affect memories before your accident?

Memories before. Missing parts of my childhood.

Sorry if this is too personal but how did the experience affect you mentally?

The accident gave me PTSD, as far as the transplant, it gave me a lot of my confidence back!

How are you dealing with the PTSD?

Used MDMA treatments and it's pretty much nonexistent now.

How annoying do you find Face Off references on a scale of 1 to 10?

I'm so use to them, it's like a meme to me now.

So like 3

Any pictures of you, before the accident?

https://imgur.com/mHTTtNs

So wait. Did your old beard grow out of your new face? (You look great, btw :D)

No, it's the donors beard, hair follicles come with skin.

Why did it take 10 years after the accident for you to receive a face transplant? Were you that confident during that frame of time?

Glad to know you can have a normal life again, hero.

It wasn't possible when I first got in the accident.

I was when I drank lol. Liquid courage!

Did you keep your original ears or did they had to be replaced too?

Original.

• I assume there would have been a massive risk of infection. What did your medical team do to minimise this risk?

• (silly question) was there any choice you had with the face transplant you received? Or did they just assign you a donor?

Thanks so much!

I took a lot of antibiotics and antivirals at first, until my immune system caught up.

No, it's totally anonymous, but I have met his family.

What was the process of requesting a face?

Would they take a face off any random organ donor?

I'm not quite a biologist, so I'm curious what exactly was transplanted? Just skin, or lips, nose, eyebrows and the other stuff, too?

Were you skeptical at first? I can see myself being skeptical if someone told me "Yeah, so, if you want, we can patch someone's face on your head."

Thanks for a great AMA! :)

P.S. Amazing beard.

Getting in contact with the team, writing a letter explaining why I need a face transplant and why I would be a good candidate.

No, there are age limits, up and down but am unsure of the actual numbers. Plus they do blood typing and skin typing.

All the soft tissue really, muscles, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels - the whole face and part of my neck, so year eye brows, nose, and lips came with it.

I was, but I also knew any result would be better than my previous appearance.

https://imgur.com/IHX0mVv https://imgur.com/2K6KZnL

Thank you, it's trimmed now.

I made front page fo the second time! My first ama did and this one did, thank you all!

What happened to the girl you saved and her boyfriend? Are you still in touch with them?

Her and I still talk, he tried to say I was driving when I was in a coma and supposed to die, so if I ever see him, wel like the Joe Pesci said in Casino "There's a lot of holes in the desert, and many problems are buried in those wholes.

Did read in your AMA from 3 years ago that you have lost contact to her. When and how did you find her again and what was your first contact like?

She found me on my public figure oage on FB

What was the first thing you laughed at post-op, and what did that feel like?

The nurses came in to give me a sponge bath and it was cold so my guy was shriveled. I said ladies, don't get the wrong idea, it's very cold. One said "Don't worry, we saw it at full mast when you were i na drug induced coma and you don;t have anything to worry about"

Felt great.jpg

The transplant looks great, I'm still trying to figure out how you survived being shocked for that long! Five minutes is a lifetime. Have the doctors ever discussed with you how you managed to get through it?

I tell them my sense of humor go me through it all.

Hey man excellent answers so far! Thanks for doing this. I wanted to ask about blinking and the eyelid function and how hard that was. You mentioned only three points being attached and only an amazing 6 days before you got feeling....but like how did you sleep....or get your eye lids to open when you were awake?

I actually have my own original eyelids and they open and close normally. I have insomnia, so I rarely sleep.

First of all, thanks so much for doing this AMA. You look great!

My question isn't about the face transplant. I'd love to hear more about what the MDMA therapy was like, if you don't mind talking about it. Did you feel better overnight?

Thank you!

I had read a lot of research studies from over seas and talked to a few doctors from Switzerland.

I didn't do mine with a real profession but my fuck buddy at the time. We would drop x and I would talk about things I had buried and would never have brought up if not on MDMA and open to my psyche.

I felt better after the first time but far from normal. We did it every weekend for a while.

That sounds like a good friend you had, to sit and delve into your mind while high could potentially be a bit of a 'downer' for them. That was cool you had someone to help you. And to fuck you i guess too lolol.

Can I ask, is your current spouse and mother of your kids the same person you were with at the time of the accident? Or a new person who fell in love with you after the accident?

I am single, never been married and no. She was a new girl who stole my heart then broke it.

Was taking your old face home an option? If so, did you?

I would guess it'd be treated as medical waste, but could be quite a conversation starter if taxidermied.

I fucking wish, I'd have it in a jar.

Since you're in the rare position of having had to learn how to operate a face: is it easier to smile than frown, or is that saying full of shit?

Neither one is more difficult than the other. I just can't smile real big and show my teeth.

What is the critical consensus among Brits regarding Oasis? Are they just the "Wonderwall band" as my fellow Americans have labeled them, or are they a revered band in your nation?

Oasis was actually the first concert I ever saw back in the 90s, I;ve always called them Oasis. I'd laugh at someone for calling them the "Wonderwall Band."

Where is the "seam"? Like, is it under your chin or closer to your neck? I also Second The Ears question. Cheers!

Yeah part of my neck was replaced as well. My own ears and all my own hair.

• Do you regret saving the woman?
• Would you do it again?
• You mentioned PTSD, what are common things that trigger you and how do you cope?

No Yes Being a passenger in a car of a person I don't know well or trust well.

How long did you have to wait for a face donation? Seems like you would be looking for the usual compatibility, and then some features like similar skin tone.

Also, how much of your face needed a transplant? Is your facial hair from your natural face or the transplant?

Thanks for doing the AMA!

About 5 months after being listed on the transplant list. 10 years between it and the accident. They do skin tying to match the tone as good as possible, my donor had the same tone, same hair color.

The facial hair is from the donor.

Thanks for asking me questions, I love people's curiosity.

You mentioned taking care of your kids as I was scrolling through your responses. Did you meet your wife/girlfriend before or after the accident? When did the kids come along? Do they have any understanding of what you went through? And lastly, do they look at old photographs of you when you before the accident and ask questions about how you may have changed facially? Thank you for doing this AMA!

PS You look great! You're a handsome dude!

Before, I had all three before the transplant too. They were pretty young when it happened but they are 6 years old now and kind of understand.

I have showed them old pics to show them what their dad went through.

Thank you!

Do you feel your identity has changed at all post-surgery? Have you had any life-changing moments or epiphanies since surgery?

My identity is the same, my sense of humor has gotten a lot better and more darker.

No real major life changing events since the transplant.

Hey man. I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm assuming old enough to have got used to your old face. What was the adjustment like, seeing a different face looking back at you in the mirror?

35 and that's a misconception by many, I never saw a different face. I looked like me from day one, just very swollen. Now given, I don't look exactly like I would at 35 if the accident never happened, but i do see my family genetic traits still.

Hey Mitch. I follow you a lot on Facebook, and I talk quite regularly to you as well haha I just want to remain anonymous. But. Here is a financial question. Did insurance cover your bills or how was this very experimental surgery paid for? I know highly trained surgeons won't perform this kind of microsurgery for this long without some kind of monetary compensation.

The Department of Defense gave a lot of money to the research program at the hospital. The only thing I have to cover is the prescriptions.

Are you more physically aware, like does it feel funny, sensitive, or different when you have everyday reactions like laughing or raising eyebrows?

Feels just as normal for me as it does for you.

What keeps you busy? Do you work?

I just out my two weeks notice in at Adidas for a way better paying job. I take care of my kids, PC game, party, you know all the good things in life!

Thank you for doing this AMA, for some talking about something as personal as a surgery can be difficult.

My question to you is this, for many recipients of transplants rejection is as much as issue as cognisant rejection, ie mentally not being able to tolerate having someone else's face on you face and if putting undue stress upon the recipient. How did you cope with the transition, and the healing process?

I coped very well, it never bothered me that it's not my original face. What bothers me is someone had to die for m to receive this gift. A father, brother, son, grandson was lost.

Rejection is always a risk, we face transplant patients typically go through rejection once ayear.

What's the probability of known popular criminals to do a face transplant knowing that you had a successful one?

Highly unlikely and I hope rich people and actors are never able to do it to look younger.

What meds are you taking at the moment? Still on immunosuppressants?

prograf, cellcept, prednisone, klonopin, cannabis.

I am an RN who works in an ICU with burn and electrically injured patients. What do you remember from your time in hospital after first injury? What can health care professionals do to make sure people who have experienced similar injuries receive adequately compassionate care?

I remember the nurses who loved their job andthe ones who were just at work. The ones who just do it as a job should not have patient contact, they are rude.

The good nurses are what keeps patients sane and happy, well as happy as they can be in such a situation.

My favorite nurse would always bring in a radio for me, talk to me, hang out with me. Even after being released we still remained close firends. He even flew into Boston for my transplant.

Sometimes you guys don;t manag pain properly but I also know their are laws on how much can be given.

For the most part just treat your patients as you would anyone else and not a victim you have pitty for.

So do you feel more Nick Cage or Travolta?

cage

Is your face immune to wrinkles/blemishes/freckles? Do you notice a difference between the color tone of your face v body when you tan? Science, your beard, and you are awesome!

We don't know yet, I havent aged much from 30 to 35 so it's looking promising. I'm not allowed to tan, my meds put me at a very high risk of various forms of skin cancer

Wow. Hats off to you matey. Can I ask, afterwards, did you ever wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and in your bleary state and forget that it had happened for a moment, and expect to have seen your old face?

Plus, have there been any times you've bumped into people you haven't seen for years and they have/haven't recognised you? What's the ratio?

Nah, that's never happened, I always see me when I look in the mirror.

I get recognized by everyone who use to know me before, so the ratio is very very low.

You said you've met you donor's family. What was that like? What was their reaction? Do they think you look like him now? Sounds obvious, but I've read/you've said underlying bone structure helped you look like your "old self" as opposed to just wearing a mask.

It was very emotional to say the least, and no they don't think I look like him at all.

Wow, you look great dude, no homo. Was your eyesight affected at all? I imagine all that current can't be easy on the eyes.

I have perfect eyesight, 20/10 eagle eyes as my eye doc said.

What was the surgery like? What was it like immediately after the surgery?

Well, I was kind of unconscious for the surgery and the three days following, but from what I was told, I came to as I was being wheeled out of the OR and was trying to get out of bed, I must have been really drugged up to think I could have got out of bed without my fake leg lol.

It felt like I was wearing a mask at first, which was a weird sensation.

So you feel like a voyeur when you visit jerk town?

Never been to a strip club in Boston.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us!

Can I just ask a question you probably get a lot regarding your transplant - how come you got one? It's not something people would just go out and do so I'm just wondering how that happened.

Googling my name will give you the full story or looking up my old AMA, but to make a long story short, I was in a car accident, driver hit a utility pole, the female passenger was struck by a down wire and I pulled her off and got blasted myself, 10k volts 7 amps for roughly 5 mins. Majority of the electricity exited my face.

Do you remember anything from the accident? If so, what was that experience like and what does it feel like to be electrocuted?

I don't remember 30 mins before it or 27 day after. I was in a coma.

I'm glad I don't know what it feels like to be electrocuted.

If you wake up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom and look in the mirror do you sometimes get startled by a face that is not your face?

I am sure you must have suffered some tragedy that required the transplant so it must have been some time since you saw your face as you knew it but it would seem to me that in the middle of the night on your own it might give you a fright.

Also, do you have to take drugs so your body doesnt reject the tissue?

Hope you have a long healthy and happy life.

I look like me so no, mirrors/reflections don't freak me out.

I take prograf, cellcept, and prednisone.

Thank you!

What do you expect to see in the mirror?

To see myself which I do. I look similar to my old self, just not exactly like I would if I never got in the accident.

You look great!

What were the possible complications?

Were you scared going in?

What was recovery like?

How has your life changed since the operation?

Thank you!

Terrified and excited at the same time.

Not bad at all, easier than I thought it would be.

A lot, I became anti-social for a while for reasons i still can't explain. I still have introvert tendencies but I also love going out.

Following the surgery, I am sure there was a huge adjustment period, and please forgive me if I come off as ignorant.

Did you catch yourself in the mirror and not know who you were looking at? Or was it more of a familiar sight, like I know that person?

Looking great man, is there further surgery planned to assist further healing? Or are the surgeries over?

Honestly I could see my own traits showing through even before the swelling went down. Wasn't really an adjustment phase at all.

There are few minor surgeries around the nose and eyes.

Thanks bro!

Have you ever met someone who knew the donor? What was their reaction?

I have not except for their family.

How is it like being on your local news? Do you get used to it?

It was a fun experience but it wasn't just local. Once a local station does a story on me, their affiliates in other states run the story too, Yeah, and even world wide news, documentaries, radio shows, ect.

Man your skin looks smoother than mine. Have quite a rough skin due to eczema scratching. Have any skincare tips?

I really don't do anything special. Now special creams or anything. I use Old Spice Swagger as body and face wash in the shower, rarely use lotion.

What is your favorite movie and why is it Face/Off?

Sorry, I'm sure that's a played out/insensitive joke. But seriously, way to go OP. There's a lot of little shit people get bogged down with in life and you'reo chugging along after having gone through something so monumental, and actually ground breaking. Thanks for the AMA!

Edit: thought I was original. I wasn't. I apologize for disappointing you, op

I'm a huge fan of Boondock Saints, but the second one was a let down.

Do you watch Game of Thrones? If so, do you have a special affinity for the Many-Faced God plot line? I know I would.

I have not watched it yet though I do have it all downloaded.

So how much of the face did you need a transplant for? Was it just parts of the face or the entire face up to the ears and hairline or something like that?

http://prntscr.com/bhwofd

Do you have a "phantom limb" equivalent reaction to your new face? Do you sometimes mistake old parts of your face to your new face? How is the actual sensation? Can you physically feel a new layer of skin or is just like your old face and you don't notice anything?

I do bot have phantom pain/sensation in the face as the nerves have fully regenerated into the new face. When I first got it it did feel like a mask, but now it feels as normal as yours does.

I get severe phantom pains in my amputated leg.

Has the accident affected how you feel about riding in a car? And if you have a car what is it?

If I am in a car with a stranger or someone I don't trust fully, I get freaked out sometime and I hate to use this sjw feminist word, but I get triggered as a passenger in the above mention scenarios.

I have an Elantra - shitty I know, but I love saving money on gas. Looking into getting a motorcycle soon!

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Yeah I look hideous

https://imgur.com/2K6KZnL