• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Sister reacts after seeing her dead brother's face on new man with the first ever face transplant

Home> News

Updated 20:57 11 May 2023 GMT+1Published 20:47 11 May 2023 GMT+1

Sister reacts after seeing her dead brother's face on new man with the first ever face transplant

He's the recipient of the world's first full face transplant

Amelia Jones

Amelia Jones

A woman has reacted to seeing the face of her dead brother on another man after the world's first full face transplant.

60 Minutes Australia, hosted by Alison Langdon, told the story of Joshua Aversano and Richard Norris.

When Joshua was hit and killed in a car accident in 2012, his sister Rebekah and her parents were faced with a decision: whether to donate his face to save the life of another man.

Advert

"Having it in their hands to give life to you, we couldn't just not do it, we couldn't just keep it to ourselves," says Rebecca to the man 'wearing her brother's face', Richard Norris, who had been severely disfigured in a gun accident.

The procedure makes Richard a medical marvel as his face, bones, teeth, tongue, skin and hair all came from Joshua.

After the gruelling 36-hour procedure, which saw Joshua's face removed 'starting from just past his hairline', saw his forehead, eyebrows, nose bone structure - including the jaw all the way down to below his collarbone - peeled off in one piece and attached to Richard.

Rebekah's brother died in a car accident.
60 Minutes Australia

Advert

After the procedure Joshua and Richard's senses and nervous system have 'fused into one' as the clip states. Richard 'can now smell with Joshua's nose', taste with his tongue and even the hair he's shaving is Joshua's.

The video shows the emotional moment that an excited Rebekah met Richard in 2015, three years after the procedure, where she reacts to seeing the face she thought she'd never see again on someone she's never met.

"I thought I would never even get the opportunity to meet him and I didn't know if he would ever even want to meet me," she shares.

It's a bitter-sweet moment for Rebekah who asks to touch the face she knows so well.

Advert

"That is the skin of my brother," she says, unable to tear her eyes away.

"Seeing your lips even, your nose your eyebrows - this is the face that I grew up with.

"He's gone, but in a way he's still here."

"I do see Josh - I definitely do"

Advert

Rebekah was left stunned to see her brother's face again.
60 Minutes Australia

When asked if she felt closer to Joshua in that moment she responded: "Yeah I do - thank you."

But it's the recipient of the donated face who is most filled with gratitude.

"There's just no words to describe how thankful and how grateful i am to their family," he explains.

Advert

Rebekah details making the heartbreaking decision she made with her parents to donate Joshua's face after they realised he was gone.

Richard's gift in return is spreading the word about organ donation, which he has made his 'life's mission'.

The face has given him what he's always wanted - to be 'just another face in the crowd'.

"It's all I've ever wanted to be is just a regular person," Richard explained, with his eyes full of tears.

Featured Image Credit: 60 Minutes Australia

Topics: Health, News, Science, Technology, US News, World News

Amelia Jones
Amelia Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
9 hours ago
  • 8 hours ago

    Woman who only ate beef for 8 years explains shocking physical and mental impact it had on her

    After 25 years of uncertainty around why she was experiencing severe autoimmune responses, Mikhaila Peterson tried 'the lion diet'

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Forensic team digs for remains of nearly 800 babies at former ‘mother and baby home’

    It is believed the infants were dumped into a septic tank referred to as 'the pit'

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Billionaire Sunjay Kapur, 53, dies suddenly as tragic final words revealed

    The 53-year-old billionaire collapsed suddenly while playing polo

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    US Air Force just dropped a chilling 246-character nuclear code broadcast and the reason is still unclear

    A 20-minute transmission that is typically used to broadcast emergency messages to military personnel has been intercepted

    News
  • Why 70-year-old woman used her dead son's sperm to have his child via surrogate
  • Man kicked off flight as new hair transplant goes wrong leaving his scalp leaking
  • Man loses both his legs just minutes into first day on new job and by a 'miracle' survives
  • Mom of OpenAI whistleblower found dead in his apartment shares new CCTV images from 'day of his death'