Man who had first ever successful face and double hand transplant shares ‘graphic’ details he can’t put online
Joe DiMeo received life-changing surgery after suffering a horror car accident that burnt 80 percent of his body in 2018.
At just 22, he had the first-ever successful face and hand transplant after over 140 medical staff carried out the historic 23-hour procedure.
The face and bilateral hand transplant gave the New Jersey man a 'second chance at life', as Joe has been sharing his unique health journey on social media ever since.
As well as tying the knot with his girlfriend Jessica, Joe has now become a published author with the release of his book Eighty Percent Gone, One Hundred Percent Strong: Rebuilt with Resilience.
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"A lot of stuff I can't say online. It'll get flagged or the photos get taken down, and then there goes a lot of my story," he told People.
"It's like a double-edged sword. It's nice to post my story and inspire people, but then I put all that work into it, and it just gets taken down."
In the book, Joe also provides an insight into his emotional childhood and how it helped him deal with life post-surgery.
"I never said that online," he added. "I never thought I'd put that on paper."
The public speaker, however, confessed that he needed some help from a ghostwriter during the final edit.
"I needed a lot of guidance, because I did try writing it on my own at first, but then the typical ego in me, the guy ego was like, 'I don't want that on paper, that's my feelings'," Joe admitted.
"That was the big turning point, getting the ghostwriter to help get the feelings and say, 'Don't delete that. Leave it there'.
"Growing up, I used to ditch writing class.
"Now I can say I'm an author, which is pretty cool."
He also revealed that he still has 'graphic' dreams about when he was put in a coma for three months after the accident.
Joe hopes that by sharing his recovery journey, he might be able to help others who are going through a difficult time in their life.
"I was sad, but never ... had any 'I wish it hadn't happened to me' moments, just because I accepted it and moved on," Joe said.
"It is hard to accept, but you have to move on from a traumatic experience.
"You do have to accept it in order to move on, because it's just going to follow you around."
Anish Vij