THE first person to ever have a successful face and double hand transplant has finally found love five years later.
Joe DiMeo, 24, suffered third degree burns to 80 per cent of his body after his car crashed and burst into flames in July 2018.
He underwent 20 reconstructive plastic surgeries and skin grafts before spending 23 hours in August 2020 having the pioneering surgery.
He's now revealed details about his face donor - a 48-year-old male stroke victim - and shared how he has fallen for his girlfriend Jessica Koby, 32.
The pair got together after she sent him an Instagram message when she read about his story two years ago.
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Joe, from New Jersey, US, said: "It didn't feel weird being given the face of someone nearly twice my age because I was just completely ready to start my life again.
"This is who I am now and I came to terms with that quite quickly really.
"When I was burnt I wasn't looking for love but I was always confident it would happen eventually because I am the same on the inside.
"Nothing has changed besides my skin."
Jessica added: "I love Joe inside and out because he is a funny guy, he knew what he wanted in life and was very mature for his age."
Joe fell asleep at the wheel on his way home from a night shift working in a food testing laboratory in Hillside five years ago.
His Dodge Challenger veered off the road, hit a curb, flipped "a couple of times" then caught fire, he said.
He was 80 per cent burnt, had to have his fingers amputated and his eyelids stitched up.
"It was like looking out of a chain link fence," Joe said.
"I was ready for the transplant when it was offered to me. I didn't want to live how I was living.
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"I even said I wanted a guy or a girl just to make the process faster - and told my doctor I'd prefer a girl's face just so I wouldn't have to shave all the time."
It took a team of 140 surgeons, nurses and support staff at NYU Langone Health Centre in New York City to pull off the surgery in August 2020 - which had only been attempted twice before.
His donor was a stroke victim, 48, from Delaware, who died two days earlier.
"That's literally all I know because the doctors flat out refused to tell me any more," Joe added.
"I've never had any contact from his family or friends or anyone who knew him."
I am the same on the inside.
Joe DiMeo
For several weeks, Joe couldn't move at all. But slowly, he managed to regain his muscle memory.
While his family were overjoyed for him, others weren't so positive.
"I lost a lot of fake friends," he said.
"It was sad to see them all go, but then I realised who my real mates were and I appreciated them more.
"People look at me, but it doesn't bother me.
"I'm 6ft1in, wide and wear short sleeves so you can see my burnt arms, so I would stare too."
Joe, who takes 15 pills a day to stop his transplants being rejected, can now lift himself out of bed and drive again thanks to extensive therapy.
He said it feels "amazing" to be more independent, adding: "After surgery I was at zero per cent and couldn't really do anything, but now I feel like I'm at 50 per cent.
'SO COURAGEOUS'
"I can cook, clean, do laundry, move my phone better and drive again," he added.
For now, he borrows Jessica's Subaru Crosstrek, but he can't wait to one day get a motor of his own.
The couple's relationship blossomed as they bonded over their shared love for Boston Terrier dogs - and they now share Buster, six, and Kirkland, seven.
Jessica, a nurse, said: "We developed a relationship initially long distance and then I moved from southern California to be closer to him and it has been great ever since.
"He is a pretty quiet guy so at first when you're just getting to know him he keeps to himself and just observes his surroundings.
"He is very knowledgeable and anyone he talks to he can carry a conversation with.
"I really like that about him because I think that someone who is educated and speaks well is very attractive.
"I love that he is gentle, kind and he is so courageous.
"For everything he has gone through, he remains so positive and such a light."
