Watch One Family's Journey Through A Life-Changing Face Transplant | National Geographic

I love you. You just make sure you have to be dreams, okay? That's ever. I love you. We're just outside the door. You're a great hand into the best. All right, okay? We invent the wrong McDonald's house as a last week. Two years, there's so many different families that come and go here all the time. You're always wondering, one day it's gonna be my time to leave here. But we couldn't do what we do every day with Katie without being here. That wasn't a... was a junior. That was sometime her senior year. That was the summer before the accident.

[Music] Katie was her old soul kid. She'd just soon stay at home, be with family, watch 20 rounds of Grey's Anatomy. Katie's a type of a kid that trusted to a fault. She's nearing the end of her senior year, and she had a lot on her, as a lot of seniors in high school do. March 25th, 2014, that morning, she's been hurt by something that happened. Wouldn't win a friendship. All I saw was her legs. And then got called my husband. I could tell she was disturbed by what she said.

Rob, Katie's gone. I said, gone? What do you mean gone? And she said, she saw herself. One doctor said that this is probably the worst wound he'd ever seen. They had her over here this morning when you were on your bike. It would've been good. Maggie always wanted to get you on your bike and never did. Every time she came through.

Okay, here's your spoon. You drive through here. We're getting ready for Katie's face transplant. We go to rehabs during the week, and that's with all these doctor's appointments. Our weeks are pretty packed, Monday through Friday. Say that for me one more time. Oh, Katie neurologically, she's all there. It's just a matter of sorting through the files. She gets to these episodes where she just stops. I mean, don't be sorry, Katie. Yep, right there where your thumb is. That okay? The right? Yep. Federal moments where you fall apart like a house of cards.

But I think when you go through something like this, to the best of your ability, there's not much you take for granted anymore. Jen, okay, okay. How do you see things now? We cook something in your eyes, even though you have to go through all this. It's hard to really describe the importance of a face. But being able to kiss, being able to show emotion, those are basic parts that we take from an everyday life. We project to the people in front of us, and then they project back. So you don't get back the feedback that you only would expect. It could be sadness. It could be anger. It could be love. It could be affection.

We've been very surprised at the remarkable recovery she’s made. She's by far not done, and she's a long way to go. But in this case, we're talking about someone who has had the most extensive trauma imaginable. We have to go very far beyond any conventional techniques or prosthetics, and only a face transplant can do that.

[Music] We always have a team ready, but once we listed her, we came together as a group. It must have been over 50 or 60 healthcare givers from every major area of medicine that would deal with her. We then did many practice runs that we continued to do in the cadaver lab. And as much as we think we know exactly what we want to do, every time something new comes up, some other idea comes up to hopefully enhance what we're going to do.

Since March 18th, she's been on the official face transplant list. Every day, you kind of wake up, you think this could be the day. And then you get through tons where there's not a call or anything, and you kind of get a little discouraged and disappointed. But with hope and anticipation, we know it'll happen.

[Music] That meant we sleep all night. We were very close, like very, very far. Side was it closer? Right. It was perfect. The problem was, oh my goodness, I know, the problem was there was some serology that would have been a no-go for her. You couldn't take the risk, so that was it. It will happen next month, right now? Right now? I want one for you too, but I want the right donor for you, okay? That's amazing.

I wanted to see you hopefully next time. They are very mystical. Okay, we got that call. Let’s-a-go. You need to be here tonight at 7 o’clock.

[Music] [Music] Yeah, we're gonna start with the donor about seven, and I think Katie will probably get down there by about 9:00 a.m. They're still envisioning 24:32 every time. Yeah, I imagine. I mean, I think, you know, I'm thinking in my head 30 hours. So right between that timeframe that you're talking about, are you having any second thoughts?

I think you could kind of hear, initially. But on the donor, we're going to... the main goal is all. This is the main goal. This, we're gonna do a little bit up here, but it's not a major part of what they do. Thank you, universities. That are new every day. We thank you for this opportunity.

[Music] Ask doctors down with you a long way in order to get to the tissues and create space for what we're transplanting. All this has to be removed, including bone here, bone here, bone here, bone here. And we need access to it while still preserving the things that make her skull. If I, Katie, there's always the risk that in the middle of working to prepare Katie, we could have to stop and be left with virtually nothing because the donor could become unstable.

Katie said to me, if something happens to me during the transplant, I don't want you to be upset. I was probably a lot more nervous than she was. Once we make a decision, there's no going back, no matter how much planning you do. We actually got three-dimensional CTS made of the donor and of Katie to help us figure this out, and despite all that, it didn't matter because, in some ways, Katie's face was longer, but the donor's face was wider. So we had to make decisions: where are we going to make it perfect, and where, as a result, will not be perfect?

I kept waiting for them to come out and say, like, we've got this problem, we got that. This is not what we planned. And it was near midnight when we brought the donor tissues in.

[Music] At that point, we have to make a decision.

[Music] You know, the more that we think about what she would want, there lies the answer. Not just now, but five years, ten years, twenty years, four years from now. You want to do the gut check again, that gut feeling. Okay?

[Applause]

[Music] Katie, you know you're out of it.

[Music] [Music] You look good. Offense, I think we did everything. She'll be in the hospital for at least a month, but we won't expect any nerve recovery for probably a minimum of six months. So it's gonna be a long recovery. I would think at least two years before we see some true stability.

The last three months have been... they have been long and had some bumpy days. This charge is like you are transitioning from one aspect of care to...

[Music] [Laughter] We did form a lot of relationships with them because they've watched her for three years. Doctor Guessin said, the next several months, Katie will be a professional patient. Lots of rehab, lots of strength training, doctor's appointments, trying to get all her meds settled, which one she'll have to stay on. You just know in your head it's going to be busy.

[Applause]

Doctor Guessin said it would take six months to a year to get her smile back. The sensation is stronger there. It really is about marching towards little by little getting back into the arena of life, not back as the way it used to because nothing will ever be the same again.

We're allowed to write a letter to the donor and their family. You know, they would like to receive it, then they can receive it. If not, they just keep it at the hospital. But we do plan on writing a letter. That's totally up to them, and we totally understand, you know, but we're just very grateful.

Adria was... We didn't always get along, you know how it is with your family. But we didn't. Being able to spend time together in a year or six months before she passed away. If Adria was willing to donate her organs, you know, why would she need a face? You know, I still wrestle with that every day, knowing that.

Well, there's something I didn't expect. And so I thought about it, prayed about it. This is the right thing to do so someone else can have maybe a better life. Yeah, that's what made my decision. I knew it was going to take someone special to give their daughters or granddaughters or their wives face so someone else could live.

Need to be nervous? I mean, absolutely. I saw the grandma on the drive over there. We can wait outside till it's all good, just relax. And then afterwards, we'll go out for pizza and beer. How are you? Who is this lovely person?

Hi, I'm Sandra. How are you? You look beautiful. I just... and your granddaughter was beautiful. She was a beautiful girl. I think that must have been... It was something... It was not long ago, really. It was a very recent picture. I think you were... God, for all that you've done, we ask your blessing upon this...

[Music] You see any change? Her eye function is unbelievable. I mean, close your eyes for us. I mean, smile. She couldn't do any of that a month ago. Took home is two years on the other patients, so I'm really excited about what another month is gonna be. For now, you know, that's great. I mean, isn't it amazing? Out of the way to here, and then all of a sudden it starts rolling out a little success after a little success.

It's been long, but it's been fast. Are you sore? Last night? Where?

Oh yeah, Booya. So we wanted to be sore sometimes. Some angles, some moments, some days you really appreciate how much has changed since the transplant. What's the area?

Whoa!

[Music] For more, you feel like it belongs to you now, your new lips. I saw us.

[Music] Oh, she is today that you? Right now, Rob's trying to seek employment.

Yeah, I'm begging to teach in the fall. Well, that would help us get back into... yeah, thank you.

If you live long enough, you're gonna walk through something. Maybe not to this degree, but you're gonna walk through something, and it's gonna be painful, and you're gonna have very little control over it. But you know you have a choice to make, whether you're going to hold on to it or use it, let it change you.

You really have to appreciate life as a journey and recognize life as a learning curve. Having a transplant, it's not you have a transplant, you go back to living. It's an exchange. It's a different life and she will always have to remember... I can never not remember to take my meds.

But it is an exchange that won't... well, you gotta walk on it. Yeah, but we have such a long way to go.

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] You.