I Had A Face Transplant

Joe DiMeo was just a teenager when he crashed his Dodge Challenger in New Jersey. He woke up four months later and underwent dozens of surgeries including a face transplant and two hand transplants. What is it like to look in the mirror and see yourself in a brand new face? What are the things he struggles with after the procedure? We ask all the questions you've been dying to ask to a man who stays optimistic despite all the trauma he's been through.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The first time our next guest wasbrought to my attention. I think it
was like a year ago. Istarted to see some news stories about him,
and I was amazed by the entirestory, and I said, I
have to know more. So we'vegot him. He's joining us here today,
and let's welcome Joe Demeyo. Heis with us, joke and hear

(00:22):
us. Yeah, you guys,all right, Joe to Mayo has an
amazing story to tell. And let'sgo back real quick before we get into
some other things here. In twentyeighteen, in July, in New Jersey,
where you're from, you got intoan accident in your Dodge Challenger.
It crashed, it exploded into flames. It was a very bad accident.

(00:45):
I'm gonna take a wild guest Joeand say that you don't remember any of
that accident, right, No,I remember nothing. I just go off
of to please you for what thecops in. Yeah, So, what
was the first thing you do rememberafter the accident? Was it like a
long time later? Yes. Iwas in a coma for three and half
once and I woke up. Mymom was there and the first thing I

(01:07):
asked her was Tyler rhams in mycar. I knew something happened, but
not to the full extent. Wow. So you I imagining you felt like
pain when you woke up because allthe damage that was done your body.
But then again, it was threemonths later that this happened. So did
you get in pretty quick time asense of the injuries that you had sustained

(01:32):
as a result of this crash?Uh? Yeah, a little bit.
My mom didn't want to tell meeverything. She wanted doctors to tell me.
So next morning the doctors came inand I got the full rundown,
and I was pretty upset by it, especially because my finger's amputated at all.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, andyou ended up going through I have

(01:52):
down twenty reconstructive surgeries. Is isit more than that or around twenty surgeries?
Around? Like twenty are using totallike sixteen seventeen skin grass alone.
Wow? Yeah, if I ask, eight percent of my body. Okay,
And so for those folks who aren'twatching, the most amazing thing ever

(02:15):
is Joe Demo is a person whohad the first face transplant full face transplant,
and both of your hands are aretransplanted as well. Is that correct?
Yeah? I? Uh, firstsuccessful face and double hand transplant.
There was two before me, andthe first one passed away and the second
one that hands failed. Yeah,and you, for for any number of

(02:40):
reasons, you were able to makeit through this. And now let's talk
about like just functionality. Can youcan you see? And how are our
things for you? Right now?I can see you pretty good. I
just can't read small texts from formallake because of the the damage from the
fire. So I just I workedglasses. I just try not to wear

(03:00):
him as often as I should.That's absolutely astonishing. It's the saying to
think about. And we've got alot of people with a lot of questions
right now, Joe, we'll getinto something like this though, considering you
were the first, Like how wasthat pitch to you? Were you immediately
like let's let's do it. Ordid it take you a lot to consider

(03:25):
the risks and how your life wouldchange forever or were you just ready to
go and try so, Like theonly time I knew about a face translant
was from the movie Face Off.And then so one of my curiously plastic
surgeons said, like, there's nothingelse I can do for you. He
mentioned that doctor Vegaz in New YorkCity that does face translants, and he

(03:49):
took videos of me. I toldhim like, yeah, oncount for I
want to do it because I don't. I don't want to live my parents
coutch the rest of my life.I want my independence back. Yeah,
to get its own kind of guy, What was Joe? What was the
alternative to getting the face transplant?Like, if you said no, I
don't, I don't want to dothis, you go to this doctor in

(04:10):
New York. What was the otheroption? Nothing? Basically I had no
like healthy skin that they can use, and I little went blind in the
long run because they had like achoose an alids together in LA so I
can see but not blink as much. So I wouldn't want blind and basically
live by parents' couch. Yeah,I mean it's it's functional. I can

(04:31):
see you move your mouth, You'reable to do all these things. And
uh, it's astonishing what's happened hereon like a medical level for sure,
But let's talk about kind of theunseen thing, the psychological level of this.
How how did it feel the firsttime you open your eyes and you

(04:51):
see another face? Is it veryIt must be very difficult to process that
mentally is just my guess. Ican't even imagine. Yeah, I mean
I would say I prepare myself beforethis surgery that I doesn't get someone else's
face on me and do my researchto my doctor. Seeing the other patients,
I was expecting to be swallen anda lot of stuff. So my

(05:14):
first saw I kind of looked likeBendry and Franklin said, long hair and
like a fat face. Like Iwas more focused on my workout routine to
get my hands better. Yeah,more than my appearances. Yeah, because
I saw you drinking. Okay,So both of those are are hand transplants.
How functional are they? Originally they'relike shitty. I could get stuff

(05:38):
done like I like to cook andall that stuff. Wow. Okay,
So my girlfriend helped up a lot, like like tight jars and like a
little small things I can't do.We gotta talk about this girlfriend in a
second. Let's put that on theside. We talk about that second.
So face transplant to hand transplants,and that was a couple of years ago.
Were there any close calls, Wasthere any issues with rejection or did

(06:01):
it just seem to work really wellfor you? Where it didn't for so
many other people who tried to geta face transplant or hand transplant. Uh,
my first injection took like a yearand two months to happen. So
I did have two efficient ones,but the first one took a year and
a couple of months, which ispretty uh, pretty rare in cases usually

(06:23):
happens after a month or two witha normal liver or heart cancelan. So
like that was a pretty uh I'lltalk a doctor's side for getting that down
good for me. I think itjust goes down to a good doctors.
I have sure. Yeah, it'ssome of these people who were able to
change your life for the better afterthis accident in twenty eighteen. And now

(06:44):
is it just like follow ups oryou are doing routine maintenance is a terrible
word, but just for the sakeof getting the question out there for the
rest of your life, like whatare the next what's what's what's the upkeep?
And I say maintain like a car. Basically, I just do follow
off. Whenever I captain or likea sensor ejection coming on or something going

(07:08):
wrong, I can text my doctorlike hey, like something's going on,
and I go on for like abiopsy and they see they see those things
that they need to go into thehoster or not. Like I'll get like
I call it a fluid change basicallylike a plasta for resus comes in and
basically refreshes my blood like basically anoil change and like Litle in terms.

(07:32):
Yeah, and when you when youtake your hands which were both transplanted,
and then you touch your face,can you feel that? Are you feeling
those sensations? Yes? It's interestingbecause like if I'm looking at certain things,
I can feel the texture to it, but then once they look away,
I can still feel it, butnot the texture of it. So

(07:56):
there's like a visual connection there whereyou know, there's a big thing for
it. Like my occupational therapist alwayslike opened up my eyes for me because
they were a soul and shut inthe beginning, and it would make me
touch certain things and like the vets, sheets, my burns, fars just
so I can like get like recognitionlike this is what that is and this
and that. Yeah. Man,it's amazing to see your brain at work

(08:16):
like that. Seriously, did youever is there all a very random question,
like there's no timeline to this,but like did you ever speak to
your donor's family. So I didrun a letter, that's the only thing
you can do in the beginning,and I learned a letter like how great
I am and like sorry for you'rea loss and anything. But Danny reached

(08:39):
back out to me, which Ido understand. They lost a loved women.
Yeah, it's onso and you knowfac and hands, which is is
different and other translants that you don'tsee. So I do understand they never
want to meet me, or theydo. I'm always down for it,
but I understand they're like their peacetime alone. Yeah, I totally get
what you're saying, because most times, like my it's about the family of

(09:01):
the hands people the same. Yeah, oh really is it? Also,
so you're saying, most like mysister had a liver transplant when she was
younger, and Joe, I,you know, I'm an organ donor and
stuff because of all of this,but those things, she knew that she
had gotten it from some young kidwho got into an accident. But it's
internal, like you're saying, andthe family, if they were to meet

(09:24):
with you, will be looking backat the at the face of their loved
one that they lost, which isa whole other level of things. How
do you how do you retain sucha positive attitude through all of this?
How what is guiding you? Ithink it's just like an actually positive a
person. I was always a happy, go lucky guy before the surgery.

(09:48):
Also, my parents are pretty likehappy people too, so they they always
brought me up and things like that. At least you know, when they
go up the restaurants, they woulalways been the home food. So just
like a good atmosphere arounding two andjust I just got like the bright side.
I didn't even have my sad daysand what stuff. But yeah,
those are just like learning days andI just move on from it. Sure,

(10:09):
it's so healthy to process things theway that you're doing it. Okay,
So what are some things that you'vekind of since the face transplant and
the hand transplants that you've discovered?Like I thought it was very interesting,
Like your visual element is so important. Are there other things that are our
problems for you or that you've discoveredalong the way. Yeah, I can't

(10:31):
do like like I like to goto the gym a lot back in the
day, I can't do that anymorebecause that can cause rejection from lifting heavy
leads and things like that, likepicking like a penny off the floor.
I can't do it's they'll take mea while to do it, Like saying
something like that, go out patientsfrom it, like saying things that I
used to like to do I can'tsee anymore, which I understand. Yeah,

(10:54):
so it's your care routine. Doesthat change? Uh? Yeah?
Like before I had a like Iused products with alcohol in it when in
natural products and the like keep thepimples away. But now there's just aquaphor.
I don't think the nurse group backyet, for like pimples and the
set lands aren't there. So it'snot like a normal face in a way.

(11:16):
It's just like the mask I wouldsay, and then I just aqua
four and to keep it moistened,so it's not like jaiso. Yeah,
it's part of the upkeep, Iguess. Uh. So let's go over
to this because about a year ago, the story came out and said that
you had met somebody? Is thisthe same person you're with now? Are
you? Uh? You have anew girlfriend? What's going on with your

(11:39):
your love life over there? Iknow it's the same girlfriend. YEA.
Three years in June so it's comingup. Wow, damn all right.
So she I think she reached outto you on like social media when she
saw some stories about you. Yeah, so she followed on Instagram. So
I was getting a lot of followers, and so I put on her profile
and so we had to see dogreed, which is a Boston Terrier,

(12:00):
which is kind of rare now atheys to have that kind of dog,
And so I DMS her about herdog, and now we're here. Yeah,
she's a nurse, I believe,right, Yeah, she works in
the ores and nurse and you guysshe ended up moving and you guys are
are together, I believe. Yeah. So after a nursing school, she

(12:20):
went to Cleveland, Ohio to dothe Cleveland her hostel, VIX is like
the second best hospital in America,so just to heather her resume. And
then she did like a travel assignmentand she came to Jersey and we got
a partnent together and all that stuff, and so I moved back at my
parents' house. Again. Wow,that it depends back, Yeah, and
that's got to feel good, right. You like to go from where you

(12:41):
were years ago lying in that bedafter the accident, New Jersey, hearing
that you're going to get a facetransplant, two hand transplants, and thinking
about the way to that to rightnow where you are being independent, You've
got love life going on. Theremust have been moments where you were in
hospital thinking you would never get tothe spot you're at right now. Right.

(13:03):
Oh yeah, I didn't think Iwould have fallen in love or stuff.
You know. I was just moreworded about working out my routines.
And they thought you can get backto a normal life, you know,
because when you look up stuff online, it's not really much out there.
Like I kind of have to crymonpathway and see how to do certain things.

(13:24):
Like even after I got the surgery, I had accident, Dont how
do I slip up my jacket again? Right? Because like you lose that
that function and that motor skill youdo your whole life and it's gone for
two years and you just lose allof it. Right, you got to
relearn all these things. And yourstory puts a lot into perspective. Yeah,
it just at least for me,you know, think about what you've

(13:46):
been through and you could still lookat life with you know, the glass
half full is absolutely incredible. Andto know that you still have so much
ahead of you and can look atit without just being with door shut in
your room forever is amazing. That'ssuper inspirations, isn't that. Yeah,

(14:07):
that's that's cool. That's really reallycool. Did they make you go through
any sort of process to uh toupdate your identifying features like you have new
fingerprints now? Is it? Isit that rare of a a situation that
they don't have any process for thator did did you have to like give
them all new stuff? So Igot to get a new Gyra Sa Gyver

(14:31):
slacens and it was my tent one. I was twenty years old. I
got the accidents my ten twenty one. I want to go to clothes and
all this stuff, you know.So I got a new Gyra slacense on
my burnt face, and then Igot the transplant. I to get a
new Jarr's license with this face,So that's the only thing I had to
update. I don't know if myfingerprints. I always used the donors,

(14:52):
but I didn't do anything yet anywhereto get to involve to singer prints.
Yes, yeah, it's not.He's not out there breaking the law.
He wouldn't get blamed. Uh youU did it? Was there a process
to regain your driver's license? Uh? Did you have to do like this

(15:13):
little like driving test which is kindof pointless because there's no like, it's
not doesn't feel like an actual carwhen you're driving like the simulator. Right,
So, like the best way Idid it was go carts because there's
no power steering, so it's aI think go quarts a little bit better
than the simulation. Yeah, whatthe The crazy thing to me is not

(15:35):
only have you rose to battle allof this stuff and get a phase transplant
and hand transplants, but you goback into the place where this all started,
into driving cars, where the accidentthat started all this was your your
car accident and your Dodge Challenger.Was it scary to hit the road for

(15:56):
the first time or are you outthere driving every day? I wasn't scarce
for my passions. I try tomy girlfriend's car, but they're like every
time I go on vacations, showpay for the flight and hotel and I
get to pick the rental car.I pick the rental car, so it's
usually like a nice, nice card, I get something fast or something there.

(16:18):
Yeah, parts of my passions arelike, there you go, all
right? I like that. Whatabout when you're out in the public do
you get I'm just gonna guess hereagain, I'm guessing you get a lot
of luck, so guessing a lotof people might have questions for you.
How are people that they been badabout that good? What's the experience been
like? Oh, I go onpublic, everyone's stairs. You know,

(16:40):
I'm six to one, pretty wide, I'm pretty big, like two tens.
I stand out in the crowd,so I don't mind the stairs.
And I saw someone that looked pickingout. It's staious, So I completely
understand. It's mostly like the youngkids that's there. But you know,
they're just so I don't like mine. Yeah, yeah, they don't know
any better. They're just You talkedabout going up on trips a lot with

(17:00):
your girlfriend. Is there a placethat you visited that has received your your
your face transplant better or worse thanother places? Uh? I would take
a why we bent to white sofar and nice? We're gonna go there
again in December around her birthday.I get a lot more stairs there because

(17:22):
it's on a highlands, so theydon't really see county people like when we
go to LA and stuff like that, like normally cares it just to double
take, but nothing like serious,right, didn't nobody saying anything mean or
bothering you or doing that stuff.They probably figure one of the real hotwives.

(17:42):
Do you have to do you haveto shave? Oh yeah, so
I shaved every other day. Ican grow up pretty quickly because of the
hotills on one so I shaved veryI'm not like a students face. Yeah,
yeah, yeah it is. Itlooks great. Yeah, this fantastic
thank you? Does does everything elsefunction correctly? Like does your nose operate

(18:04):
as you would imagine? Oh yeah, so it's kind of gross. I
produced more like I boogers, bogersand earwax, so like it's it's I
guess I think that's a part ofthe transplant. I don't know. I
never it's kind of a good questionto asinella transplant person. Yeah, yeah,
it's true. Commiserating over that isprobably difficult for you. But do

(18:26):
you keep in touch with like ahandful of people who have had the same
transplants as you? Only only oneguy recently got gonna My doctor recently did
a face and an eye transplant,and me and to him keep up in
touch and his Fanley Yeah sun StateJohn on YouTube says, I'm sorry,

(18:48):
that's the wrong one. Bootsy Moodshawon a twitch says, do you have
to be extra careful in the sunon account of the phase transplant? Oh?
Yeah, So I wear a lotof like some hats now glasses just
to keep it out on the becauselike machine leathers can close or retection.
So I also wear like UV glows, a lot of V shirts just to
be X protective screen especially with skingrafts too, Like that's supposed to be

(19:11):
one of the major things, islike heavy heavy SBF protection. Sure,
if you if your doctor, theguy that did the face transplant reached out
to you and said, we haveX number of breakthroughs and things that have
changed about it, and we've perfectedthe operation, and we we want to

(19:33):
give you another new face that you'llhave less rejection and something like that.
You know, if you have anew model, would you be Is that
something you would be interested in oryou kind of done, you know,
doing any of these major surgeries.I think I'm done with his surgery for
now. There's nothing really on Ilike how I am now and I just

(19:56):
want to be in the hostel fora long time. I like the you
bout stuff. Yeah, that's amazing, man, It's been really a pleasure
talking to you. Joe. Youfind yourself over in Central Florida. You
give us a shout, Yeah,I do hit us up. Thank you
now you you on TikTok. Iknow you post a lot of updates about
your life and about everything that's goingon with your journey. Where can people

(20:18):
follow you and keep up with youon TikTok? I take guys that those
transplant journey. I just do alot of ands and like motivation videos,
and you like working out, doingthe daily life stuff. Okay, excellent
Joe's transplant journey over on TikTok.Thank you so much man, awesome than

(20:38):
We really appreciate you and good luckJoe, and we'd love to check in
with you from time to time ifthat's possible. You want you being willing
to do that? Oh yeah,you guys can call on everyone my show.
I like it, so thank you. Well until next time then,
Joe, We'll see you later,Bud. Thank you. There he goes Joe Domao