He can move his eyebrows and jaw. He can swallow pureed food. He can even, with much difficulty, speak.
The Spanish man who underwent the world's first complete face transplant appeared before the press in Barcelona yesterday to thank surgeons for his new features and a second chance to enjoy "the little things" in life.
The 31-year-old, identified only as Oscar, wore a light blue, button-down shirt and sat before a microphone at the Hospital Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, where he underwent a 24-hour operation involving 30 specialists in March.
He spoke for a less than a minute, struggling to control his tongue, mouth and cheeks, before a woman identified as his sister interpreted his sentiments. "He feels very good with his face," she said. "He has some of his previous features. He recognises himself and he doesn't have a strange feeling."
Her brother was now looking forward to enjoying "the little things, like walking along the street without anybody looking at him or sitting at a table to eat with the rest of the family". And he was keen to return to his favourite hobbies, hunting and fishing, she said.
Dr Joan Pere Barret, chief of plastic and reparatory surgery at the hospital, praised his patient's mental and physical strength. "He is the best patient a doctor could have," he told reporters. "He believes it is his responsibility to thank the surgeons and the donors and to encourage other patients."
Before the surgery in March, Oscar – a farmer who shot himself accidently in the face five years ago – could not breathe, eat or speak on his own. He had undergone nine previous operations, and with each round of surgery it became increasingly clear that a complete transplant was his only option.
Oscar, the world's first full-face transplant patient, speaks during a news conference at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona July 26, 2010. Oscar, who underwent the transplant in April by a 30-member medical team led by Spanish doctor Juan Barret, accidentally shot himself in the face five years ago.
Source : The Independent, REUTERS
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