A Face Transplant Gave This 26-Year-Old a ‘Second Chance at Life’ — And Points to a Promising Future for Patients

Cameron Underwood is back to golfing, restoring cars and even sky-diving, less than three years after sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound that severely damaged his face and nearly claimed his life. Underwood, now 26, was left without the majority of his lower jaw, teeth and nose, and with significantly impaired eyesight, speech and mouth function, after his June 2016 injury. But just 18 months later, the California resident became NYU Langone Health’s second-ever face transplant recipient and one of about 40 worldwide — a remarkably brief journey that he says gave him “a second chance at life.” “Two years ago, I don’t think we had any idea about face transplants, that it was even possible,” Underwood tells TIME. “I absolutely feel like myself [now]. Every time I look in the mirror, I see me. I see my eyes and my face. It’s all growing on me, so to speak.” The implications of Underwood’s case go beyond his own story. NYU believes that Underwood’s was the first U.S. face transplant to be covered by commercial insurance — a milestone that could mean more patients have access to the life-changing surgery in the future, says G. Leslie Bernstein, administrator for NYU’s face transplant program. “Any time an insurance company signs on to accept a new, successful type of event, we hope, and we have seen in the past, that it does open doors for more patients, like Cameron, to seek care wh...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime medicine onetime Source Type: news