A New Face, A New Phase

Last week I was catching up on one of my favorite TV shows, Grey's Anatomy. The patient of the day: Dave, a 38-year-old who was hit by a drunk driver 12 years ago and suffered major trauma. The challenge of the day: giving Dave a completely new face. Not too long ago, at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a similar surgery took place by a team lead by chief plastic surgeon Dr. Bohdan Pomahac; the second total face transplant in the U.S. to be exact. '"This is not a life-saving, but this is a life-giving procedure," Pomahac said.' During the 17-hour procedure, doctors had to carefully remove the donor's tissue, muscles, and nerves that they then painstakenly had to attach to the recepiant. Of course this is easier said than done. Currently the patient is begining a long healing process. Although Dave is a fictional character, it's amazing how many people in the real world, like Dr. Pomahac's patient, share his story. And due to surgical breakthrough, they can have a second chance to live a normal life. With a new face begins a new phase.