Man who had world’s first successful face and double hand transplant shares new images announcing engagement

The man who is the world's first person to successfully undergo a face and double hand transplant has confirmed that he is engaged.

Six years ago, Joe DiMeo's life changed forever when fell asleep at the wheel of his Dodge Challenger, after finishing a night shift in July 2018, causing his car to hit a curb and subsequently burst into flames.

Thankfully, two heroic individuals nearby were able to rescue DiMeo from the burning vehicle - but he was left with life-changing injuries from the accident.

DiMeo was left with third degree burns to 80 percent of his body and was placed in a medically induced coma before having his fingertips amputated and undergoing more than 20 reconstructive surgeries.

However, his journey was far from over, as the now 26-year-old would then go on to be the first person ever to successfully survive a face and double hand transplant in August 2020. The surgery had been around 23 hours long, with DiMeo given a success rate of just six percent.

His surgery has since been considered a major milestone in the medical field.

Four years on and DiMeo has since been focusing on rebuilding his life, as well as finding love with Jessica Koby.

After being moved by DiMeo's resilience, Koby tracked him down online and the pair soon bonded via Instagram over their shared love of dogs.

As the relationship blossomed from platonic to romantic, the 33-year-old moved to be nearer to DiMeo's home in New Jersey.

The relationship has since gone from strength-to-strength, with DiMeo recently announcing the couple's engagement online.

Sharing a photo of himself and Koby, alongside their Boston Terrier dogs on social media, he captioned the image 'Big things going down on December 5th', alongside emojis of a bride and groom. Koby can also be seen wearing an engagement ring in the photo.

Koby also shared a video of the proposal on her own Instagram account, which showed him getting down on one knee to pop the question while the pair were out and about.

"I guess I’m the right one Joe asked and I said yes. I can’t wait @joeroydimeo," she captioned the clip.

Koby had previously spoken about her love for DiMeo, revealing that she loved how 'gentle, kind, and courageous' he is.

"He is quiet at first but very knowledgeable and engaging. I love how gentle, kind, and courageous he is," she said in a previous interview (via The Daily Star).