In 2011, a soldier named Mitch Hunter became one of the first people in the world to receive a face transplant after the car he was in slammed into an electrical pole in 2001. In that accident, Hunter pushed a woman to safety, but he absorbed a current of 10,000 volts for nearly five minutes, which took his leg and face. Local Indianapolis TV news station WISH spoke with Hunter in an exclusive interview, which you can watch below.
Since the transplant, Hunter has been providing updates on his YouTube channel and has gone through multiple surgeries, sometimes three in one day, taking up a total of twelve hours. Mitch says he’s not able to remember the accident.
“Imagine walking into a room and like falling, and everybody noticing. That’s how it was every time I walked in a room because of the way my face looked.”
“I would like to tell people just not to worry about the small things; live life. Tell the people you love that you love them because you never know when that can be taken away.”
Hunter still has to travel to Massachusetts twice a year to get work done. He’s been able to grow a beard and has most, if not all, of the feeling back in his face.
Here’s another story about an American hero getting a face transplant: