Fort Worth Texas man, Dallas Wiens, is first full face transplant in US History

Mr. Wiens lost his face after coming in contact with a power line in November 2008.   He had no insurance, yet Medicaid paid for numerous operations until Mr. Wiens' income from disability payments put him over the income limit to receive additional Medicaid assistance.   Dallas now has some coverage under his father's insurance until he turns age 26.  By that time he should be eligible for Medicare.

 

The full face transplant was paid for via $3.4 million in grant money from the Department of Defense designated to provide five transplants.  Face transplants are typically partial face transplants, the first one in the U.S. occuring in December 2008 on a Ms. Connie Culp at the Cleveland Clinic.

 

Although Dallas Weins has received a new full face, he is hardly recognizable as his former self and does not look like the unidentified facial donor.   Mr. Weins eyesight has been lost and it is doubtful that full sensation will be restored to the left side of his face.

 

Despite the trials of this tragic ordeal, including the fact that it occured while painting a church, Dallas Wiens and his family have stayed surpisingly strong in their faith.   Dallas's grandfather, Del Peterson, was quoted as saying "he could choose to get bitter or he could chose to get better.  His choice was to get better.  Thank God today he's better."  

 

Dallas told the AP that his 3 yr old daughter Scarlette said "Daddy has a boo boo, but God and the doctors are making Daddy's boo boo all better."  "She doesn't care and she never has since day one that I was disfigured."

 

Which makes sense, because when you think about it, a daddy is so much more than just a pretty face.

 

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