Link:

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-32929019?SThisFB




A woman, whose brother was killed in a traffic accident, has met the man who was given his face in a pioneering transplant operation.

'Tragic loss'

Transplant recipients do not normally meet the families of their donors.

But Ms Aversano, from Maryland, came face to face with the man who received some of her brother's facial tissues and structures.

She touched his face and said: "This is the face I grew up with."

Her brother, Joshua Aversano, had been killed in a road traffic accident, at the age of 21.

The decision to donate his face had been difficult, but would have been what he wanted, said his mother Gwen Aversano in a separate interview with CTV News.

She said: "Knowing our son he would have wanted someone else to go on with their lives if he wasn't able to.

"After meeting Mr Norris, seeing him and speaking to him we can definitely see our son in him.

"We were just so pleased we were able to help Mr Norris even though we had such a tragic loss," she added.

The extensive transplant surgery took place at the University of Maryland three years ago. It lasted more than 36 hours.

Mr Norris had lost his lips and nose in a shotgun accident and had limited movement of his mouth.

Comments:

This is an amazing story. Just imagine you lose a brother in a car accident and his face is donated to someone else who needs a face transplant and then you are able to meet the transplanted person with your brother's face.The emotional charge behind the whole picture must be unbelievable!