Doctors say the Mississippi firefighter who recently endured the most extensive face transplant ever is happy with his million-dollar mug — and already healthy enough to have wrapped his new lips around a gyro from a New York City deli.
“He just had a gyro at one of the sub shops outside with one of his close friends, so he’s doing well for only day 93,” Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez said Monday, as he described the success of Patrick Hardison’s 26-hour surgery at NYU Langone.
The 41-year-old received his new face on Aug. 14 after a blaze in 2001 left him badly burned. It came courtesy of a Brooklyn artist who died in a bike-riding accident in July.
Rodriguez said Monday that while Hardison is racing down the road to recovery, he will ultimately be forced to remain on immune-suppressant medication for the rest of his life and will still need to return to the Big Apple for monthly checkups. The volunteer firefighter is also expected to have a major follow-up surgery in either January or February.
But doctors say Hardison’s biggest hurdle will surely be dealing with his self-confidence.
“Now that Patrick has a new face, a new beginning, you could see that he was concerned to look in the mirror,” Rodriguez said. “You can see that he’s happy with it. It’s his face. (But) there’s a lot of scars that we still have to deal with, there’s a lot of anguish, that’s why we’re helping him.”
Rodriguez added that Hardison’s surgery is estimated to have cost up to $1 million and was paid for by a grant through the NYU Langone Medical Center.
He later described how buying clothes at Macy’s with his new face was something that really struck a chord with Hardison.
“For him it was so remarkable that no one stared at him, no one looked at him … that was pretty dramatic for him,” Rodriguez said. “He would never comment about his appearance, but this was the first time we really shared that experience with him, that no one stared. It was a very emotional exchange.”