 |
Rebekah Aversano’s
donated her dead brother's face so
another man can live. Now she's about to meet
him and see for the first time.
Richard Norris Face was severely disfigured in a shotgun accident 15 years
ago. He lost his nose, lips, and jaw. After a series of surgeries,
Norris became depressed because surgery had limited success. "For the past 15 years I lived as a recluse hiding behind a surgical mask and doing most of my shopping at night when less people were around," Norris said in a
statement.
The surgery has allowed him to smile and show
expression and has restored some sensation in his face and
, he’s unable to drink, smoke or get sunburned. Norris still has a lot of follow-up appointments with doctors and a therapist, and has to take a anti-rejection drugs.
|
 |
| Image credit: University of Maryland Medical Center. |
“Wow, this is the face I grew up with” Aversano
said during the emotional encounter.
“Some of the facial features would definitely be our son, so we could see similarities, very much so. We are just so pleased we have been able to help him. Even though we had such a tragic loss, we were able to give someone else the benefit of our son,” she told
CTV News network of Canada.
|
