Michigan man finally gets facial transplant after suicide attempts 11 years ago

A 30-year-old Michigan-Man has finally got a life change Facial transplantation After trying suicide 11 years ago.

During the early hours of March 5, 2014, Derek Pfaff, which is outside his home in Harbor Beach, was found on a pile of blood -covered snow. He was 19 years old at that time, his mother, Lisa Pfaff, previously told People.

Derek, who was home from college during the spring trip, was found by his father, Jerry Pfaff, and the family rushed him to a local hospital.

“He was in shorts and his t-shirt from what he had that night, and the gun was next to him,” Lisa remembered Wxyz Detroit In a new interview.

“He had no face. There was no face, it was a gunshot right to his head and Jerry put him in the vehicle with his face down, which was really the first miracle, because if he had put him his face up in the vehicle, he would have drowned on the blood and suffocated to death on the two and a half miles just to come to our hospital.”

Derek miraculously survived the gunshot wounds, but his face was seriously affected. He had dropped an eye, no longer had a nose and his teeth and lips were mostly gone. He underwent 58 operations from 2014 to 2020, when his doctor told him that there was nothing left they could do Per Wxyz.

“I didn’t go out in public,” Derek told the outlet.

“People would point and, you know, call him name, and it was just so difficult,” Lisa added.

Derek, a former football star for high school, told Wxyz that before the suicide attempt he put a lot of “pressure” on himself academically, but often kept his feelings “private.”

“I held … my feelings and feelings inside. I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. I wish I would have now – mom, dad – anyone, went off my chest. I would have felt so much better,” he said.

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Derek – who now considers himself lucky to be alive – eventually became eligible for a facial transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., Per A Videopress message From the clinic. He and his family were then given words that a donor had become available in February 2024.

After an extensive operation the same year and many follow -up procedures, Derek now has a fully functioning face again.

Derek is the second person ever Get a facial transplant At the Mayo Clinic, and one of only about 50 people who have received the procedure all over the world, according to the clinic.

Lisa called Derek’s transplant “Mirakulous” and said he looked “amazing” in a Gofundme Set to cover Derek’s extensive medical expenses.

Lisa also shared that Derek underwent a further follow-up surgery which made it his 65th operation in total since 2014-the 2 May per collection page.

The Gofundme page has collected $ 285,895 for its $ 1 million from Friday, May 9.

If you or someone you know are considering suicide, please contact the 988 suicide and crisis life by calling 988, text “strength” to the crisis text line on 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.