Dallas Wiens First patient in the United States to receive a full face transplant Date of Birth: 06.05.1983 Country: USA

Biography of Dallas Wiens

Dallas Wiens, the first patient in the United States to undergo a full face transplant, was born on May 6, 1983, in Fort Worth, Texas. He suffered an electric shock while working as a decorator at the Ridglea Baptist Church in his hometown on November 13, 2008. While on a cherry picker, he accidentally touched a high-voltage wire with his forehead.

Wiens was airlifted to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where surgeons fought for his life for 36 hours. As a result of the accident, he was left blind and without lips, a nose, and eyebrows. The doctors informed his family that he would likely be paralyzed from the neck down, unable to speak, and unable to produce enough saliva to eat solid food. Despite the devastating injuries, Wiens had become a "man without a face," with exposed facial bones.

To protect Wiens' body from further damage, doctors induced him into a three-month-long artificial coma. Upon awakening, Wiens began an astonishing recovery and was discharged from the hospital in the spring of 2009. In May 2010, he started walking, showing tremendous progress.

In March 2011, a team of 30 surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses led by Dr. Bohdan Pomahač performed a full face transplant at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The skin from the donor's face and thighs was successfully transplanted onto Wiens' facial bones during the 15-hour procedure. Although his vision could not be restored, Wiens could already speak on the phone and regained his sense of smell after the operation. The surgery was funded with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Defense, which hopes to use similar procedures to help soldiers with facial injuries.

Since the accident in 2008, Dallas Wiens has undergone nearly two dozen additional surgeries, and he continues to undergo rehabilitation procedures. He expects to undergo more surgeries in the future. On May 9, 2011, Wiens made his first public appearance wearing dark sunglasses. He shared that his young daughter, Scarlett, told him he was "so handsome" after seeing him following the operation. Regarding his new face, Wiens expressed that it feels like his own.

Each day, Wiens sees it as a personal challenge. His daughter has been his source of hope and faith in a better future. Ten months after the operation, Wiens regained the ability to smile, indicating that the facial muscles, ligaments, and nerves successfully adapted to his body. The transplanted tissues from the deceased donor were not rejected by Wiens' body. Initially, the doctors were prepared for the worst, knowing that tissue rejection reactions are more common in face transplants compared to kidney and heart transplants. Fortunately, in Wiens' case, the 80% chance of a negative outcome did not materialize.

Overall, Wiens' story is unique in its own right. Initially, plastic surgeons at BWH deemed his injuries too critical for a face transplant. However, several nerve endings were discovered on his face, which ultimately played a crucial role in gaining approval for this groundbreaking operation.