I recently saw a picture of a hispanic man who had his face shot off and had a face transplant from a cadavor. I was sick to my stomache when I saw the picture. I know that’s a horrible thing to say but I think I was thinking that when my mother passed on we donated her organs. That includes bone, tissue and whatever else they can use. I flashed on someone else wearing my mothers ditorted face, a face of death and it made me ill.
This poor man lost his jaw, lips, nose, and most everything else from where he used to have his own face. Obviously he couldn’t be expected to live the rest of his life like that and the article that went with the story did say that he had many unsuccessful surgeries to try and give him a face. I’m also pretty sure that this was a last resort and that he was not crazy about the idea either.
The face was just put on and I’m sure over time it will look better as he regains more use of it with therapy. However now it looks like a face that has been stretched out and masklike, very unnatural looking. He will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life but I’m sure he is thankful to regain a face.
If I were in his shoes I would most likely take the face of a dead person too and be grateful for it, but from where I’m sitting now I just wish there was another alternative.