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Book Chronicles Face Transplant Recipient's Transformation
ABC News ^ | 3 Jul 2013 | KATIE MOISSE

Posted on 07/03/2013 3:44:37 PM PDT by mandaladon

After hiding his face for 15 years, Richard Lee Norris has stepped into the spotlight for a book about the surgery that saved his life.

Norris made headlines in 2012 when he received a full face transplant – the result of a 36-hour operation that swapped his scarred skin and shattered bones with tissue from a donor. Now he's sharing his story in "The Two Faces of Richard," a biography punctuated with never-before-seen black and white photos of his amazing transformation.

"This book shows that it's possible to go through hell and come out on the other side," said Coos Hamburger, a photojournalist and author of the e-book recently released on Amazon. he story begins on Sept. 10, 1997, when the Remington 12-gauge pump shotgun Norris was repositioning in a gun cabinet emptied a round in his face.

"Richard's memory of the details was virtually obliterated along with his chin, jaws, mouth, nose and tongue," Coos wrote in his book, describing the horrific accident that landed Norris in a medically-induced coma as doctors raced to save his life and salvage remnants of his face. "He recalls only a vague fog of thoughts tied together like a cobweb as he gradually recovered in the hospital weeks later."

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: facetransplant; medicine
Face transplant photo HT_norris_nt_130701_16x9_992.jpg............Just amazing!
1 posted on 07/03/2013 3:44:37 PM PDT by mandaladon
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To: mandaladon
"I remember standing with Richard in the lobby of a hotel, and there was a couple with a young child checking out. The girl peered around the corner just as Rich was in the process of changing his mask, and she was just petrified," Hamburger said. "I could see how much that hurt him. It was really the first time I got a sense of why he'd gotten to the point of considering a transplant with all its risks, including death. Living the way he did, in many ways, was untenable."......This story would make a great movie
2 posted on 07/03/2013 3:46:03 PM PDT by mandaladon (The truth about Benghazi is all I want)
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To: mandaladon
"He is especially committed to helping wounded warriors, recently afflicted with the injuries and the physical and emotional damage he had come to know so well for so long," Hamburger wrote in his book, adding that Norris plans to start a Foundation for Facial Trauma to help cover the cost of surgery................I specially like this
3 posted on 07/03/2013 3:50:45 PM PDT by mandaladon (The truth about Benghazi is all I want)
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To: mandaladon

Yes, quite amazing. The article has 49 slides that show some more phenomenal work.


4 posted on 07/03/2013 4:28:27 PM PDT by Gator113
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To: mandaladon
...when the Remington 12-gauge pump shotgun Norris was repositioning in a gun cabinet emptied a round in his face.

Ouch!

5 posted on 07/03/2013 4:42:15 PM PDT by Standing Wolf
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To: Gator113; mandaladon
What incredible wonderful work.
6 posted on 07/06/2013 8:35:22 PM PDT by cyn (Benghazi.)
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