After 71 surgeries and 14 years of recovery, Pat Hardison can finally walk down the street without frightening those around him. When former firefighter Pat Hardison suited up for a house fire nearly 15 years ago, it was a just another day on the job. Little did he know it would change his life forever. “It was just like every other fire. We went in looking for a lady,” he told ABC news.
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The moment Hardison entered the house with three fellow firefighters, the roof collapsed on top of him. “[My mask] was melting to my face. My hose [was] already melted.†Hardison narrowly escaped death in the inferno, but the road to recovery would be long indeed.
ABC
During his 63-day hospital stay, doctors did all they could to give him a semblance of his old features, but the damage was already done. Hardison lost his ears, lips, nose and eyelid tissue to the flames.
Over the next 14 years, he underwent 71 operations and eventually regained a measure of the face he’d lost forever.
ABC
“My kids were scared of me. You can’t blame them. They’re young kids.â€
Hardison quickly got used to people staring at his appearance on the street, but seeing looks of terror on the faces of his children was more than he could bear. Doctors told Hardison that he’d need a face transplant -that’s right, a face transplant- if he wanted to look more like a “normal” person.
At the start of 2015, a former BMX rider David Rodebaugh, who was brain-dead from a biking accident, came up as a match for Hardison’s risky but potentially life-changing transplant procedure. Rodebaugh’s mother approved the procedure and gave Hardison the second chance he so desperately needed.
ABC
The transplant surgery took a staggering 26 hours to complete with the help of over 100 medical professionals. Hardison only had a 50/50 chance of surviving the procedure, but the operation was a success.
The photo collection below reveals the incredible transformation Hardison experienced in only only one year.
CNN
A few months ago, Hardinson’s feeding tube was finally removed and he was able to eat solid food again. He put on 30 pounds and is loving every minute of his new life “I used to get stared at all the time, but now I’m just an average guy.”
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CNN
Now Hardison is just focusing on enjoying the life he never thought he’d have with his children, family and friends. He plans on becoming a motivational speaker and using his platform to inspire wounded veterans.
Check out his story, filmed just a few months after his first transplant surgery below. He has come so far in the last year.
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