“Astonishing“. That is the feeling of Isabelle Dinoire, 38 years old, when she saw her new face.
In a weak and unclear voice due to her still-numb lips, the world’s first face transplant recipient responded over the phone to a reporter from the Daily Mail: “When I look at my new face in the mirror, I immediately recognize it as myself. It’s astonishing to see a nose and mouth on my face again.” Not only Dinoire, but anyone who knew her face before the surgery would share the same feeling of astonishment.
The face of this single mother of two was completely disfigured after being attacked by a dog. Her chin and nose were torn apart, exposing her bones, to the point that her daughter “could not bear” to look at her. She herself was afraid to hang a mirror in her home and wore a dental mask when going outside.
Children Also Fearful
After the accident, she lost many friends. There were times when she thought about suicide. And as fate would have it, the woman who donated her face had died by suicide. Now, her new face is intact, with red scars gradually fading. Dinoire says she feels more secure about her future, no longer burdened by the feeling of being looked at with disgust. The more she cherishes her new face, the more grateful she feels toward the family of the donor and wishes to know who they are. However, doctors believe it’s best for her not to know the identity of the face in the mirror.
In recent days, Dinoire has been gazing at her new face in the mirror while waiting to recover in the hospital. The important question now, not only for her but also for the medical world, is how long it will take for her to regain sensation in her transplanted face. She recounts how doctors checked her during the post-operative phase: “They told me to close my eyes and pressed on different areas of my face to see if I could feel anything. Currently, I can’t feel anything because the nerves are not functioning properly. The doctors said I would regain sensation in about six months to a year, but they aren’t sure since this is the first case.”
Just Wanting to Live Normally
Since the surgery took place on November 27, Dinoire has become the center of attention worldwide. Last week, she made a plea for journalists to respect her privacy. The overwhelming coverage has made her feel like she is being “bombarded.”
She is now very afraid of the day she will be discharged from the hospital, imagining the scene (which is certain to happen) of curious onlookers gathering to gawk and point. And there are countless questions awaiting answers: How will her loved ones see her? What will those familiar with the deceased owner of the face she now bears think? Dinoire can only hope: “I just want to live a normal life.”
Meanwhile, news about Dinoire and her surgical team reaching an agreement with a British documentary filmmaker to record the entire surgery has raised concerns among many. Some medical experts believe that such footage could compel other doctors to engage in similar experiments, not for the advancement of surgical science, but for financial gain or fame.
However, many people express sympathy for Dinoire. They explain that the film agreement was meant to provide her with income while she is hospitalized awaiting recovery (Dinoire is expected to receive around $235,000 from the sale of images and footage of the surgery).
Professor of Medicine Rosamond Rhodes, working at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, noted: “Although the French healthcare system fully covers Dinoire’s medical expenses, just think about how this woman could work after the accident, while lying in Edouard-Herriot Hospital (Lyon) waiting for recovery as well as during her upcoming job search.”
T.TRÚC
