---
title: "Surgeons Give Man New Face and Hands"
description: "Joe DiMeo, a 22-year-old from New Jersey, recently underwent an extremely rare face and hands transplant, the Associated Press reports."
date: "2021-02-03"
modified: "2021-02-03"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/surgeons-man-new-face-hands"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "face transplant"
  - "hand transplant"
---

# Surgeons Give Man New Face and Hands

![Joe DiMeo, a 22-year-old from New Jersey, recently underwent an extremely rare face and hands transplant, the Associated Press reports.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/surgeons-man-new-face-hands.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

Joe DiMeo, a 22-year-old from New Jersey, recently underwent an extremely rare face and hands transplant, [the *Associated Press* reports](<https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-02-chance-life-rare-surgery.html>) — a testament to the advancements of modern medicine.

After being badly burned in a car crash in 2018, DiMeo spent months in a medically induced coma and had to have 20 reconstructive surgeries and skin grafts. But the most recent operation carried out at the NYU Langone Health hospital could end up being lifechanging.

"I knew it would be baby steps all the way," DiMeo told the *AP*. "You've got to have a lot of motivation, a lot of patience. And you've got to stay strong through everything."

Despite the surgery, DiMeo will have to make some adjustments. For one, he still has to learn how to control the muscles in his new face and hands. He will also have to stay on medications for the rest of his life to avoid his body rejecting the transplants.

"The fact they could pull it off is phenomenal," Bohdan Pomahac, a surgeon at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, who had previously carried out a double hand transplant, told the *AP*. "I know firsthand it's incredibly complicated. It's a tremendous success."

The anonymous, deceased donor of DiMeo's new hands and face was fitted with replica parts that were constructed using 3D photography and printing, the [*New York Post* reports](<https://nypost.com/2021/02/03/face-and-hand-transplant-recipient-steps-out-for-the-first-time/>).

"Despite the fact that they’re now declared deceased… we still respect the dignity of the donor," Eduardo Rodriguez, lead surgeon, told the *New York Post*. "It’s important for us to continue to care for the donor because that patient is still our patient."

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)