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Patrick\u2019s burns on his face and scalp were classified as 3rd degree burns. He also had burns on his head, neck and upper torso. His lips were completely destroyed along with most of his nose and eyelid tissue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t actually see myself until probably November. I got injured in September,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Patrick told\u00a0Fox News<\/em>.\u00a0\u201cThey had cut a little pinhole in one of my eyelids because they had everything covered, skin graft. I looked in the mirror and all I could do, I said, \u2018this is it? I can\u2019t do this,\u2019\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0he recalled.<\/p>\n Believe it or not, Patrick had to sustain over 70 surgeries and other procedures. He couldn\u2019t close his eyes and doctors managed to put together flaps of skin to protect his vision, but there was always the risk of going blind\u2026<\/p>\n Every meal brought Patrick immense pain, and he struggled to look in the mirror, feeling the stares of others. He avoided socializing, even with his children, often wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and ear prosthetics for protection.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a tough time. I never got a break from the injury,\u201d he told Yahoo! Sports. \u201cYou have to prepare for kids running off screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n Patrick lost hope for a normal life until he learned about Isabelle Dinoire, the first woman to receive a face transplant after being disfigured. Inspired, he met Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez at NYU Langone Medical Center, who promised to help if a matching donor was found.<\/p>\n Eventually, LiveOnNY found a match in 26-year-old David Rodebaugh, who was declared brain dead after a bike accident. His mother, Nancy Millar, chose to donate his organs, saying, \u201cYou better save his face. He has the face of a porcelain doll.\u201d<\/p>\n She hoped her son\u2019s legacy would help save someone else\u2019s life. When Nancy met Patrick, she saw a strength in him that reminded her of David.<\/p>\n After the swelling was better and he learned how to talk and swallow again, Patrick met with Nancy, the donor\u2019s mother. She had one heartwarming request: to kiss Patrick on the forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Can I kiss your forehead?\u2019\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Nancy said.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s the one thing I wanted to do because every night before David went to bed when he was little, I kissed his forehead.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been waiting a year to meet her. I\u2019m just very grateful,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Patrick added.\u00a0\u201cWithout her, it wouldn\u2019t have been possible. It\u2019s like she\u2019s family. We connected that easily.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You may have heard many incredible stories, but Patrick Hardison’s life from Mississippi is truly astonishing! In 2015, Patrick became the first man to undergo a face… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dailypositiveinfo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/patrickhardison3-scaled-1-1024x548.jpeg\")
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