At a press conference to be held at Brigham and Women’s Hospital on Monday, April 2, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, Dallas Wiens, the first person in the United States to receive a full face transplant, will speak to the media.
Wiens will talk to the media about his post-transplant experiences as a father, as well as his work related to the humanitarian foundation he founded called the About Face Foundation.
The facial area of the patient Dallas Wiens was completely replaced by the team of more than 30 physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, and residents over the course of more than 15 hours of labor. This process included the replacement of the patient’s nose, lips, facial skin, muscles of facial movement, and nerves that power them and provide feeling.
After having conversations with the donor’s family, the professionals at New England Organ Bank were able to secure their consent for the donation of the tissue graft taken from the donor’s face. The act of registering one’s driver’s license as an organ and tissue donor is not recognized as valid consent for face donation; rather, the consent of the donor’s family is necessary.
