

Face transplant patient is revealed - raheemm
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/05/05/science/AP-MED-Face-Transplant.html?hp

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iamelgringo
<psa> I've been an ER nurse for years, and the most rewarding times of that
career have been when I can work my tail off to keep a donors body going long
enough to harvest the organs. Donors give an amazing and precious gift to
dozens people. I've cared for both donors and recipients. It's a beautiful and
amazing thing. Think about it and talk to your family about it.</psa>

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kingnothing
Are there honestly many people these days who aren't donors? I'm sure the
answer is yes, but I'll still be surprised by it.

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icey
I'm sure there are quite a few people who aren't donors and don't know that
they have to elect to be one.

Otherwise, I guess maybe people aren't for religious reasons? I'm not sure on
that.

~~~
TheAmazingIdiot
I choose not to be a donor.

My cousin died a few years back. He had an untreated cavity that turned very
infectious. Now, a few months later, he got out of the shower and just died.
The doctor said that he seemed to have died before he even hit the ground..

In the same room as the doctor explaining that "We dont know what killed your
son" were the body harvesters. All they could do was to pressure the parents,
my uncle and aunt, to donate every part of his body, even though they had no
idea WHAT killed him.

I do find these body parts people just plain disgusting. To these people, "No"
means keep pestering more.

And yes, I also do worry that if a RN or doctor sees that donor card, they
might not do as good of a job to save me. Not that they would do _bad_, but
they would quit sooner than a non-donor.

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gort
"I do find these body parts people just plain disgusting."

Saving lives is more important than your feelings.

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TheAmazingIdiot
It's not "feelings".

If somebody makes a conscious decision and goes about to explicitly allow
harvesting, then so be it. Decision's done.

Instead, these people prey on organs from the recently deceased. In my case,
he died not knowing what killed him. It was an infection of sorts but we just
don't know. He didn't make a decision about harvesting after he was gone, so
they should respect his wishes (or lack thereof).

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gort
"these people prey on organs from the recently deceased."

They're trying to save lives. Make no mistake, people's lives are jeopardized
every time someone decides that the integrity of a corpse is more important.

Edit to add: the description of medical professionals as "preying" on the dead
is an odd one. One cannot prey on dead bodies, which have no thoughts or
feelings. The only problem with what they do is the effect on the feelings of
the living (e.g. yourself) but as I indicated, saving lives is more important.
Sorry.

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bravura
It's actually quite amazing how important appearance is, for people that have
had it stripped away from them.

My girlfriend, a cancer survivor, envisions a young adult cancer charity that
focuses on the cosmetic aspects of treatment: paying for wigs, teaching girls
how to do makeup. At first, I thought her idea was missing the point, but then
she explained to me how uplifting it is to have some modicum of control over
your appearance during treatment and recovery.

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mynameishere
_Few patients suffer more of mental discomfort than the unfortunate possessors
of some unsightly disfigurement on the face which attracts constant notice,
few are more solicitous for any operation which promises relief, and none are
more grateful for the slightest improvement in their condition_

[http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2004/1/...](http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2004/1/2004_1_60_print.shtml)

Not strange. Actual pain has known bounds, but if you have some unsightliness,
you never know what people are thinking. Socially, you might be a monster--and
you can't tell.

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tophat02
Man I can't wait until we can put a bunch of stem cells on scaffolding and
reactivate certain embryogenic pathways to grow organs. Maybe even faces,
though what you'd get is a baby face.

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ars
You wouldn't get a baby face. The shape of the face is determined by the bones
under it, not by the skin on top. (Although the skin would be smooth, and not
lined.) So a face donor recipient does not get the face of the donor.

Also, faces (i.e. skin) is actually the easiest organ to grow, and doesn't
need stem cells. I read about a burn victim where they took some skin from
under his belt buckle (The only non burned skin on him), and stretched, then
split, then stretched some more till they were able to cover him (took
months).

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zitterbewegung
I think what they have done here is a real victory for science. Also they have
given back something that we all take for granted. It makes you wonder what we
will be able to do next.

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jmah
I just realized why I got a strange feeling. Her face looks like a Mii! (In
the most tasteful fashion.)

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octane
Damn, couldn't they do something about her cheeks?

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maximilian
it said that they are going to deal with her cheeks once her nerves and
muscles grow in better. It'll be most telling a year or two from now once it
all settles down and they can fix some of the drooping problems. I hope to see
a followup someday - it'd be super amazing to see the difference.

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knightrider
It's nice to see that in this world of open source, patents are getting some
attention and IP is still valued.

