A man who received a 47-year-old’s face as part of a major transplant surgery has opened up about his experiences.
A few years back, in 2018, Joe DeMio survived a car crash, which resulted in third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body, and went on to change the course of his life forever.
He endured years of treatment, culminating in a historic 23-hour surgery in 2020, at the age of 22, making Joe the world’s first successful recipient of a face and bilateral hand transplant.
This groundbreaking procedure, involving a team of over 140 medical professionals, gave him a 'second chance at life', and helped the now-27-year-old regain his independence and confidence.
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Joe, who found love with his wife Jessica since the accident, has built up a sizeable following as a social media creator, and his latest career update has seen him publish a book telling his incredible story.
Joe recently opened up about the book, titled Eighty Percent Gone, One Hundred Percent Strong: Rebuilt with Resilience, in a new interview with People.
The book 'offers an intimate look at his experience, from the aftermath of the accident and the numerous reconstructive surgeries to the life-altering transplant and his ongoing process of regaining independence', the synpopsis reads, adding that Joe’s remarkable story is 'not just one of medical marvel but also of immense personal strength, hope, and the profound ability of the human spirit to overcome'.
"A lot of stuff I can't say online. It'll get flagged, or the photos get taken down, and then there goes a lot of my story," he explained to the outlet, referring to TikTok's rules and regulations when it comes to sharing graphic content.
"It's like a double-edged sword. It's nice to post my story and inspire people, but then I put all that work into it, and it just gets taken down."
The book in question details the three-month coma he fell into after the accident, which he had previously touched on in People's I Survived YouTube series.
He also revisits some of the more 'graphic' dreams he experienced whilst in his coma, which included visions of being tortured.
Reflecting on his healing journey following the crash, Joe shared: "I was sad, but never had any 'I wish it hadn't happened to me' moments, just because I accepted it and moved on. It is hard to accept, but you have to move on from a traumatic experience," he says.
"You do have to accept it in order to move on, because it's just going to follow you around."
Acting not only as a survival story but a challenge to the limitations individuals place on themselves, Joe resolved: "Growing up, I used to ditch writing class.
"Now I can say I'm an author, which is pretty cool."
Rhiannon Ingle