Polish Man, Grzegorz, Goes Home After Country’s First Face Transplant; ‘World’s Fastest Time Frame For Such An Operation,’ Doctors Say
![polish transplant](https://d.medicaldaily.com/en/full/230767/polish-transplant.png?w=716&f=730c93ef34b87b360805866da6a81ab3)
Just 11 weeks after a surgery that reconstructed a Polish man's nose, upper jaw, and cheeks, the patient was discharged from the hospital and speaking at a press conference in Warsaw, the Associated Press reports.
Identified only as Grzegorz, the 33-year-old said he owed "everything" following a May 15 surgery. Doctors have called the surgery the "world's fastest time frame for such an operation," as the man's accident took place only three weeks before surgery began. While still recovering, Grzegorz spoke at the press conference held Tuesday.
"My speech isn't clear, but it's really important that it is there," he said, his words transcribed by TVN24 in a broadcast after the press conference. "I know it's still a long way."
Grzegorz was working at a brick factory in Gliwice, Poland when the accident took place. He needed a bone and skin transplant to rebuild his face following the injuries. Doctors have reconstructed the area around his eyes, nose, jaw, and palate, and performed the actual transplant from above his right eye, under his left eye, and around his face to his neck.
Grzegorz will have to take medication for the rest of his life, according to anesthesiologist Dr. Sebastian Giebel. He cannot keep potted plants, rugs, or his dog, because he faces too great a risk for infection with them around. He'll also have to avoid working in agriculture, said Dr. Adam Maciejewski, who led the 27-hour operation, because of similar infections from fungi in the soil.
Despite these prohibitions, Grzegorz's family was elated to welcome him home.
"We will see what comes next, but we are and will be with him," said Grzegorz's sister, who identified herself only as Barbara. Grzegorz's mother said she had a roast duck waiting for his arrival.
The limitations following Grzegorz's transplant are mostly temporary. He can breathe on his own, see, eat, taste, and speak, though with some difficulty. He says he feels a pins and needle sensation in his face, which the doctors have attributed to the healing nerve endings. His right eyelid currently remains motionless, an impairment for which he will undergo surgery and intensive exercise. At the press conference, he wore sunglasses.
Doctors originally attempted to reattach Grzegorz's own face; however, the reattachment left an area too close to his brain exposed to a risk of infections. Acting quickly, the doctors decided a transplant was the only remedy to Grzegorz's worsening condition.
In the end, they enlisted a 34-year-old man's organs, which were donated by the man's mother, Teresa Banach. She called the decision "difficult."
"But I consented," said Banach, who also donated organs to other patients, "because I wanted to save someone's life. My son did not need these organs anymore."