Face in the Mirror: A Surgeon, a Patient, and the Remarkable Story of the First Face Transplant at Mayo Clinic

The story of a miracle of medicine and oftwo men-a patient who severely injured his face in a suicide attempt and a doctor with a passion for helping those with facial differences-and how they formed an inextricable bond. In 2016, after years of intense planning and rehearsals, Dr. Mardini and a team of some60 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and othersthought they were ready. They spent an entire exhaustingweekend, a total of 56 hours, successfully transplanting to Andy the face of another suicidal young man. Andy nowhad the nose, cheeks, mouth, lips, jaw, chin, and even the teeth of his donor. Resting in his hospital bed, he still couldn't speak clearly, but he had something to say. He scrawled four words in a spiral notebook: "Far exceeded my expectations." Andy spent months recovering and learning how to use his new face. He raced up and down a rollercoaster of pain, uncertainty, and emotional upheaval, but theaftermath of Dr. Mardini's daring operation ultimately led Andy to a new life he never could have anticipated. Face in the Mirroris a sweeping and dramatic journalistic account of an extraordinarymedical journey.