When Richard Lee Norris was only 22 he suffered from a devastating gun shot that destroyed most of his face, after living as a hermit for 15 years he has finally gotten a full face transplant.
Following the accident, the man hid in his rural Virginia home, he only ventured out at night with the protection of a surgical mask to ward away people's stares, according to the Telegraph.
"I've heard all kinds of remarks," he told the Associated Press. "A lot of them were really horrible".
The 38-year old man underwent a 36-hour surgery recently and has gained back a lot of the feeling in his face. His surgery was considered the most extensive face transplant ever performed He has relearned how to talk again, and is even able to smile, the Telegraph reported.
With a new found zest for life Norris is taking online classes in hopes of earning a degree in information systems, he also wants to start a charitable foundation to help others in need of transplants. Norris is excited to be able to go out in public again without having to deal with ridicule from strangers.
"When I was disfigured, just walking the sidewalk, I was surprised that more people didn't walk into telephone poles or break their necks to stare at me," he said. "Now ... there's no one paying attention. Unless they know me personally, they don't know I am a face transplant patient. That right there is the goal we had."
Norris needed his "teeth, upper and lower jaw, a part of the tongue and all of the tissue from the scalp to the base of the neck" replaced.
Twenty-seven face transplants have been performed since the first procedure in 2005, four of the patients have died as a result of the high-risk operation. Survivors of the procedure must take immunosuppressant drugs, which can be damaging to their health. The transplant could be rejected, and is only expected to last for about 30 years. Norris often worries about his body rejecting his new face.
"Every day I wake up with that fear: Is this the day? The day I'm going to go into a state of rejection that is going to be so bad that the doctors can't change it?" he said.
Twenty-one year old Joshua Aversano, who died in a car accident, was the donor of Norris' new face. Aversano's family is grateful that Joshua was able to help somebody, even after his untimely death.
"We are grateful Joshua's legacy continues through the lives of the individuals he was able to save with gifts of organ and tissue donation," the family said in a statement.
Norris is grateful as well, and keeps in touch with the family. He has not suffered any identity crisis issues which doctors warn can be a symptom of the treatment.
"When I look in the mirror, I see Richard Norris," he said
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