Man who received world-first face and eye transplant opens up about being given a ‘second chance’ at life
Kit Roberts
Featured Image Credit: The James Family/Haley Ricciardi/NYU Langone Health
The first recipient of a face and eye transplant has opened up after his remarkable recovery from the treatment.
Veteran Aaron James, from Arkansas, had been working for a power line company in June 2021 when he was involved in a horrific incident.
The dad had been holding a neutral wire when he was struck in the face by a live wire with a 7,200-volt charge on it.
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The electrocution meant that Aaron lost most of his face as well as his left arm.
But now the 47-year-old shared that he is on the mend after undergoing extraordinary surgery which has seen him given a partial-face and whole-eye transplant.
Aaron attended months of doctor's appointments and rehabilitative therapy to follow up on his 21-hour surgery in May 2023.
And the results have left him delighted, with Aaron saying that he feels he has been given a 'second chance'.
In fact, he shared one of the biggest problems that he's now dealing with after the procedure and follow up.
He revealed that he's now figuring out what to do without all the appointments to go to, telling People: "Without doctor's appointments, we're kind of lost.
"Now we're getting some downtime and we're like, 'What do we do?'"
Aaron went to describe the impact that the extraordinary procedure had on his life.
He said: “I’m pretty much back to being a normal guy, doing normal things.
“All in all, though, this has been the most transformative year of my life. I’ve been given the gift of a second chance, and I don’t take a single moment for granted.”
Aaron also reflected on what it means to be the first person to receive this procedure, saying he feels 'honored'.
The 47-year-old continued: “I have felt honored to be patient zero. Even if I can’t see out of my new eye, I’ve gained my quality of life back, and I know this is a step forward in the path to help future patients."
Eduardo D Rodriguez MD DDS led a team of over 140 medical professionals who came together for Aaron's procedure.
He said: “We are truly amazed by Aaron’s recovery, with no episodes of rejection. Our methodical approach to the matching process, ensuring that Aaron received the most favorable donor match, along with our unique immunosuppression regimen, has set the standard for eliminating and avoiding early rejection episodes.”
And while Aaron can't see out of his new eye at the moment, there are signs which have made doctors hopeful that this may be possible in the future.
A study following a test on his eye indicated that the donor's eye rods and cones, which are the light-sensitive cells in each eye, survived the transplant.
Researchers said: "This electrical response converts light into signals that ultimately the brain could interpret for vision, giving hope for the future of whole-eye transplants with an aim to restore sight."
Extraordinary!