Surgeons at NYU Langone have performed the world’s first successful face and hand transplant from one person to another. The recipient was 22-year-old Joe DiMeo from New Jersey, who suffered third-degree burns to more than 80 percent of his body when he crashed his car on the way home from work in 2018. He had just a 6 percent chance of finding a compatible donor, NYU Langone said in a post detailing the extraordinary transformation. And while the outbreak of COVID-19 derailed the process momentarily, doctors finally found a donor last year. A team of more than 140 doctors, nurses and surgeons worked on the case, culminating in a 23-hour surgery in August. “I really wanted the hands first... so I can get back to work,” DiMeo said.
