The year 2018 brought tragedy to Joe DiMeo when he had a serious accident but it also created a story about medical achievement and enduring love that earned worldwide admiration.
At age 20 DiMeo lost control of his car because he fell asleep while driving from his night shift work.
His vehicle collided with the curb and started burning before leaving the roadway. People who drove by rushed to save him before his body caught fire.
Their fast reaction protected his life though he endured third-degree burns touching 80 percent of his skin.
The burns removed his eyelids, lips, ears, and damaged his fingers. Multiple operations kept him in a medically induced coma and severe rehabilitation lasted for many months.
Doctors warned him about extremely low donor availability because the immune system rules for a face and double hand transplant combined with the needed skin tone match, gender match, and dominant hand considerations.
But DiMeo never gave up. During August 2020 the NYU Langone medical staff headed by Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez pulled off a medical breakthrough through a 23-hour procedure.
More than 140 healthcare specialists were scheduled to work on six teams for this operation. By 2020 NYU Langone Health and Dr. Rodriguez led the first double hand and face transplant process using tissues from one donor.
Looking at my new face did not change me emotionally. According to Good Morning America DiMeo described his first reaction to the new face as not feeling real at all.
He works hard every day to restore his regular body functions including eye blinking and muscle movement of his face.
His complete transformation went beyond his new body parts. The year 2021 marked the moment nurse Jessica Koby found Joe DiMeo and his remarkable tale through Instagram.
“I was just drawn to the way that he carried himself in his interviews,” Koby told Newsweek.
He stood ready to return to his job regardless of his facial scars. His strong sense of purpose stood out as the most interesting thing to me.
When they met they found their shared goals and beliefs automatic. Their love developed step by step even though everyone around them made negative remarks online and watched them closely.
Koby admitted she’s often accused of being a “gold digger” or “using” DiMeo, but she dismissed the remarks as jealousy. She explains that people fail to understand the entire situation.
Even tough times strengthened the connection between them. On September 2024 evening at Peter Luger’s Steakhouse Joe took Jessica to dinner as his parents watched him propose.
“Big things going down on December 5th,” he later wrote on Instagram with a bride and groom emoji, teasing what was to come.
The couple made public their intention to secretly marry in Hawaii over live streaming for their loved ones.
They protected almost every part of their plans from public view.
Despite experiencing public difficulties and health issues Joe DiMeo proudly presents his wedding photo revealing both his excellent transformation and his deep love for Jessica.
After getting married in Hawaii Joe and Jessica happily stand next to their dogs while showing their happiness which represents their fresh journey ahead.
Feature Image Credit: (Instagram/joeroydimeo)