Cameron (right), with family members, before suicide attempt
In January of this year, more than 100 health professionals, including surgeons and nurses, were operated on Cameron's 25-hour surgery at the NYU Hospital
. Photo: NYU Langone Health / Langone Health, New York.
The complete recovery of the young man was announced this week.
The operation took place only 18 months after Cameron's suicide attempt. The hospital claims that it was the shortest time between an injury and an operation of this type in American history.
Since the first facial transplant in 2005, more than 40 have been performed worldwide.
Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez practiced the operation. Mr. Cameron said that the young man's determination to survive was as important to the success of the intervention as advances in medicine. "In the end, everything depends on the patient.Cameron has beaten to get it and made the necessary commitments."
Photo: NYU Langone Health / BBC News Brazil
The Cameron operation is the third operation practiced by Rodriguez. According to him, the short time that Cameron had to live with his injuries was also an important factor in his recovery.
Most people who have received faces during transplants have been doing so for a decade or more.
"He has not had to deal with the long-term many psychological and social problems that often lead people to suffer from severe depression, alcohol and drug abuse, as well as other harmful behaviors. "
In surgery, the doctor transplanted and reconstructed the patient's entire jaw, including his 32 teeth and gums.
The ceiling and floor of his mouth, his lower eyelids and his nose were replaced and his tongue had to be rebuilt.
The hospital claims that the operation was the most technologically advanced of its kind, with the help of an ugly facial mask on a 3D printer based on the donor's face .
& nbsp; My son helps Cameron to have a better life "
The donor of the face was the young Will Fisher, 23-year-old chess champion, aspiring writer and filmmaker.
"My son's death was a tragedy," says his mother, Sally.
"I am grateful that in honoring your decision as a donor we are able to bring other people to life, and I am particularly grateful that Will and Dr. Rodriguez gave to Cameron and his family the opportunity to dream again. "
"Being part of this experience was a source of strength for me during a very difficult time, I do not think I would have survived Will's death without Cameron's presence."
Will was registered as a donor before his death.
Cameron pays tribute to Will and thanks the Fisher family for their support during the press conference.
"I want Sally and her family to know how much my family and I are grateful for the gift that they have given us, and I will always pay tribute to Will's legacy," says -he.
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