Almost eleven years after the first face transplant in the world, the French lady who had the procedure has passed away.
After taking strong immunosuppressant medications for ten years, Isabelle Dinoire, 49, passed away earlier this summer from two different kinds of cancer.
Although the medications were intended to stop her body from rejecting new tissues, they always posed a risk of making Ms. Dinoire very sick.
In November 2005, Miss Dinoire, who is from Valenciennes in northern France, became a worldwide sensation when she had a new nose, mouth, and chin at the Amiens Hospital, which is located nearby.
In 2005, Isabelle Dinoire was taken to the hospital in an emergency situation after her dog tore her face off.
After her pet dog apparently tore off her vital features, she was taken to the hospital in a hurry, but she had no recollection of the incident.
The divorced mother of two could only recall waking up to see blood on the floor of her apartment after taking sleeping pills.
Miss Dinoire noticed that her facial characteristics were gone when she attempted to smoke a cigarette.
A team of medical professionals lead by Professor Bernard Duvauchelle, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, required 15 hours to complete the medical breakthrough.
Miss Dinoire received a transplant of a triangle of facial tissue from the nose and lips of a lady who was brain-dead.
Miss Dinoire said that, three years later, she still did not know whose face she was looking at in the mirror every day.
Isabelle Dinoire when she was having surgery. It took 15 hours to finish the medical process.
In 2008, she remarked of the deceased donor, “It’s not hers, it’s not mine, it’s somebody else’s.”
“Before the operation, I thought my new face would look like mine, but after the operation, I found out that it was half mine and half hers.”
Miss Dinoire said that she had not yet figured out her new identity, adding, “It takes an awful lot of time to get used to someone else’s face.” It is an unusual kind of transplant.
Miss Dinoire’s transplanted face recovered sensibility immediately after the procedure, although she often had graft rejection.
According to Le Figaro, it was in November of last year when Miss Dinoire’s lips seemed to freeze up.
The health sections of the news site published an article today that said, “Isabelle Dinoire died this summer.” In 2005, she became the first person in the world to have a face transplant and experience its benefits.
Surgeons have been doing organ transplants for many years, including livers, kidneys, and hearts. However, faces have always been considered distinct since they are seen as precious and untouchable components of a person’s identity.
Face transplants are not surgeries that save lives, unlike transplants of other organs. Consequently, they were often prevented from moving further by ethical committees.
However, Professor Dubernard said after completing the procedure, “Once I had seen Isabelle’s disfigured face, no more needed to be said.” I felt certain that something needed to be done for this patient.
