Almost six months after a rare face and hands transplant, Joe DiMeo is relearning how to smile, blink, pinch and squeeze.
The 22-year-old New Jersey resident had the operation last August, two years after being badly burned in a car crash.
“I knew it would be baby steps all the way,” he told the Associated Press. “You’ve got to have a lot of motivation, a lot of patience. And you’ve got to stay strong through everything.”
Joe DiMeo exercises at NYU Langone Health (Mark Lennihan/AP)
Experts say it appears the surgery at NYU Langone Health in New York City was a success, but warn it will take some time to say for sure.