Cameron Underwood’s Face Transplant Journey

[Music] when dad sent me that text message I immediately got a one-way ticket and I just thought me and I don't know what I would do or what life would be like if I didn't even get to say goodbye to the merge so um I love Milligan and when I saw him in the hospital I just God you know how did I ever let this hat and I'm so thankful words can't even describe and I'll thankful I am to have it Cameron has a pretty devastating injury despite a lot of surgical care I mean significant functional deficits and even with the most advanced surgical technology short of a face transplant he probably couldn't could make him look or feel or function better when I look at him I look right in his eyes yeah and and that's my son that's what I see not that you don't notice but I'm past the this will looks back to only the highest expectations from our team but we'll be ready we just need to make sure that everything is ready on this side ultimately feel that every person that walks this earth deserves a second chance [Music] [Music] yeah you get good thing about being in [Music] we have an unusual surprise the mother of your donor she's here to see the donor for the last time and they just wanted to say hello to you I don't know how you feel about that you don't have to do this no you're not to do this they're very nice people I just wanna wish you well this is Cameron welcome to New York [Music] where your mom your mom thank you thank you for letting my son move on [Music] surgical procedure lasted about 25 hours turn that around and look at yourself what do you think of that nose what do you think of the way your eyes are coming together what do you think is the most impressive for you right now while you're looking and staring that right you never thought that would come back it's exactly right hard to imagine right but that's even possible Kameron stayed in the hospital for shy of 60 days his recovery was much faster than we had expected best of wishes [Music] I feel bad I like having a grave here you know and it's good it's good for all of us together he's been giving another chance to live again normally and integrate back into society and enjoy those things that normal people enjoy and define as living it was great to see the love and care from the family and friends that he was not afraid to expose himself he's far more open far more jovial far more interactive and I suspect we're gonna see much more of this and that gives us confirmation that this operation and the risk that we all take are ultimately worth it because that one patient will go back to a normal life and that one patient and his story will go throughout the world and other people that feel hopeless will have an opportunity to hopefully change the trajectory of their life [Music] I'll tell you it was very emotional today and you feel that there's some unity and I feel now for cam and his family that they've inherited another family and for Willie's family as well for them to see that Willie continues to live in cam and these families have now been bound by this remarkable gift [Laughter] you

Channel: NYU Langone Health

Views: 7,116,573

Keywords: NYU Langone, NYU Langone Health, Face Transplant, Plastic Surgery, Surgery, Cameron Underwood, Eduardo Rodriguez, Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery, Helen L. Kimmel Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Technologically-advanced, Family

Id: 3Xf-TttkxxA

Length: 6min 26sec (386 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 29 2018