Jérôme Hamon suffered from Recklinghausen’s disease, a hereditary condition in which malignant tumors affect the nervous system. Neurofibromatosis type 1 caused several deformities in his face, which also caused a lot of pain. But by removing it, his face was badly damaged.
In the summer of 2010, the man received his first full face transplant, including tear ducts and eyelids. Plastic surgeon Laurent Lantieri took care of the man in a Paris hospital. The patient could not believe his luck when the transplant was successful on the face of a 63-year-old man.
READ IN. Woman who received first face transplant dies: ‘Very brave woman’
In 2015 he told his story in his book ‘Have you seen the gentleman?’. Then he ran into trouble when a doctor prescribed him antibiotics – for a common cold, after all. The medications intended to combat his condition were incompatible with the antibiotics and his new immune system began to develop tumors.
“Faceless” in hospital for two months
In 2017, his face began to show signs of losing the battle. The condition of the transplanted material was greatly reduced. In November he had to go to hospital because signs of necrosis were visible; his skin turned black because his cells had died. Doctors removed the transplanted tissue, and the man had to spend two “faceless” months in hospital while they scrambled to find another suitable donor.
(Read more below the picture)
Jérôme Hamon after the second procedure in 2018. – © BELGAIMAGE
“He didn’t complain for a minute”
When a 22-year-old man died in early 2018, it turned out to be a suitable donation for Hamon. He waited patiently, while his face traveled 100 kilometers towards his new owner. “We were surprised by his courage, his will, his strength in this difficult situation. While he waited, he did not complain for a moment. In fact, he was always in good spirits,” says anesthetist Bernard Cholley.
“I was afraid I wouldn’t like this new face, and that would be terrible. But I had to find out if it fits my identity or not,” the man later replied from the Georges-Pompidou hospital in Paris. He still had difficulty speaking from his work. There wasn’t much movement yet, as his skull, skin and facial features had yet to get used to their new covering. A large number of medications were prescribed to ensure that the body would not reject his transplant. “But I feel fine. Here we are, loving it again. This is me. It’s fine like this.” Plastic surgeon Lantieri also looked back on the procedure, a unique modern event: “This is a milestone for the medical world: of course we can face transplant twice!”
“We were amazed by his courage, will and strength in this difficult situation, he was always in good spirits.”
Bernard Colley
Anesthetist
Six years after his second face transplant, Jérôme Hamon made a temporary exchange for eternal life on April 16. “He was tired,” said Franck Zal, whose company developed the technology that made the 2018 transplant possible. “It was a dream to be able to work again. He loved books, but he has been very tired since that second procedure.” Jérôme’s funeral was held on Friday in Saint-Thégonnec, in the French department of Finistère.
2024-04-20 01:00:00
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