Wiens’ face was literally burnt off in a power line accident while he was painting a church in November 2008 – the accident also left him blind. Unfortunately, it was not possible to restore his eyesight.
Wiens said that when his 3-year-old daughter saw him after the transplant, she said “Daddy, you’re so handsome.”.
A month later, appearing before reporters, and sporting a goatee and a new head of hair, Wein really does have a proper face again. It is still somewhat swollen.
The 15-hour operation gave him a new nose, facial skin, movement muscles, nerves and lips. The US Defense Department paid for this procedure and four other transplants with a $3.4 million grant.
Wiens says he was surprised at how quickly he adapted to his new face. He gradually regained his sense of smell and can now breathe through his nose. He said “Every step of the way is amazing.”
While his sense of smell started to come back, he describes how he detected the aroma of hospital lasagna, “You wouldn’t imagine it, but it smelled delicious.”
He also described the sensation when a nurse brought a hibiscus flower into his room:
“The smell of life – plant life again – and to know that I could smell a rose or anything like that again, it really hit home for me.”
Bohdan Pomahac, a plastic surgeon, said:
“The most fun part is to see the next six to nine months when the function will start to come back and when Dallas will start to feel a light touch on his face. To me, that’s really exciting.”
Wiens, 26, whose face lost all sense of touch, taste and smell, said he had dreamt of being able to smile again and feel his little girl’s kisses.
Wiens said his gratitude for the family of the anonymous donor cannot be put into words. He praised the medical team for their brilliant work, and added:
“Even though I’m in amazing hands here, I’m also in God’s hands, and that alone has been a vast help to me.”
When he gets back to Texas, the first thing he plans to do is to hold his daughter.
Dallas Wiens Describes Life After Full Face Transplant
Dallas Wiens’ Face Before His Transplant
Written by Christian Nordqvist