A Really Extreme Makeover: Coming Out With a Whole New Look
Back in September, I wrote on the story of a new procedure involving transplanting facial tissue from a donor to a recipient who had suffered some sort of severe facial trauma. Well, six months later, the surgery a success (as far as anyone can tell at this point), the recipient has a coming out of sorts.The French woman, whose face was mauled by her own labrador retriever (so much for man's best friend), received a new nose, chin, and lips (notice the circular scar on the image to the right).
Though this amazing surgery was considered a success, the surgeons warned that they do not know how long the donated tissue will live, especially since the woman's smoking habit could lead to the rejection of the tissue (Sheesh!). Nevertheless, I suppose when one is faced (no pun intended) with the possibility of living through life with a horribly disfigured face anyway, the possibility of rejection is worth the risk (the risk of rejection, not of smoking).
There is still no word on the reaction of the donor family upon seeing the results of the new surgery. It appears the French woman seems to be having no psychological problem taking ownership of the new face. It is really hard to imagine the experience, though, is it not?
My initial thoughts were based on questions related to putting tissue that is considered so personal and central to one's identity on someone else. Will it cause psychological issues for either of the two parties? Should someone's face be considered off-limits in regards to tissue-donations? Will there be social ramifications (generally, people close to the individual having a difficult time getting over the "yuck-factor"?).
In spite of questions such as these, I can't help but think that it is for such purposes that medical break-throughs occur. In other words, with so many Dr. Frankenstein-type procedures on the rise, such as cloning dogs, sheep, and anything else that breathes just because we can or embryonic stem cell harvesting, this is a procedure that, on the surface (again, no pun intended) seems to give quality of life back to people who, perhaps, feel they have little and is done without deliberately ending life elsewhere in order for it to occur. I still think it's a creepy procedure, but I guess sometimes even something creepy can lead to blessings.
Any thoughts or insights?
Labels: David C. Price
posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 2/06/2006 10:30:00 AM
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1 Comments:
David:
Here is a link that will be of interest to you:
http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/020506facetransplantweb-CR.html
Jason Schecterle and his family provide an inspiring story.
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