Severely Burned Hero Firefighter Gets Full Facial Transplant

Volunteer firefighter Patrick Hardison, 41, of Senatobia, MS, was injured in September 2001 when the roof of a burning home collapsed on him during a rescue search. The accident left him with disfiguring burns across his entire face, head, neck, and upper torso. After enduring more than 70 surgeries in Mississippi and elsewhere, Patrick was brought to the attention of Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez, the Helen L. Kimmel Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and chair of the Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone. On the morning of August 15, 2015, a team of more than 100 physicians, nurses, technical staff, and support staff, led by Dr. Rodriguez, completed a 26-hour surgery for Patrick's face transplant, the most extensive face transplant to date and the first in New York State