Firefighter suffers third-degree burns – this is him 7 years later
Patrick Hardison received devastating injuries in a house fire as he attempted to rescue a woman he believed to be trapped in the blaze.
This courageous man endured devastating third-degree burns covering his entire face and scalp — for years, he concealed himself behind baseball caps, dark sunglasses, and prosthetic ears whenever he stepped into the public eye.
Patrick Hardison recalls the heart-wrenching moments when children would flee at the sight of his disfigured face, yet his life took a transformative turn in 2015 with the most extensive face transplant ever performed.
Reports revealed that Hardison faced a daunting 50/50 chance of surviving the grueling procedure. The surgery, spanning 26 hours and involving over a hundred medical professionals divided into two specialized teams, ultimately succeeded. Today, Patrick Hardison embraces life fully alongside his devoted wife and children.
Here’s an intimate glimpse into his remarkable journey—and a look at what Patrick looks like today.
Modern medicine has unraveled astonishing insights into the human body. The tireless efforts of doctors, nurses, surgeons, and countless medical personnel continue to redefine the boundaries of healing. It’s awe-inspiring what is achievable today—such as the ability to replace vital organs like the heart or kidney.
Patrick Hardison’s face transplant story is a testament to this progress.
Thanks to advancements in medical science, entire facial replacements are now possible for those who suffer severe disfigurements. Face transplants have been conducted since 2005, beginning with Isabelle Dinoire, the first person to undergo the groundbreaking operation. In 2015, Patrick Hardison became the first American to receive this life-altering procedure.
Like any devoted father, Patrick cherished attending his children’s sports games and treasured family moments. As a volunteer firefighter, he was committed to serving his community selflessly.
But one fateful day in 2001 changed everything.
Called to respond to a house fire, Patrick sustained catastrophic burns across his face, scalp, upper torso, and neck. The fire ravaged his ears, lips, most of his eyelid tissue, and nearly all of his nose, altering the course of his life forever.
For years, it seemed Patrick Hardison was fated to endure a life shadowed by frightened children fleeing at his sight and whispered judgments from onlookers. Yet, in 2015, the most extensive face transplant ever undertaken transformed that grim destiny into hope.
The operation’s complexity was staggering, with Patrick facing just a 50/50 chance of survival. Today, he wears a completely new visage—one that is nothing short of astonishing. Here is the full account of Patrick Hardison’s extraordinary journey.
Hailing from Mississippi, Patrick devoted much of his earlier life as a volunteer firefighter. In 2001, while answering a call to a house fire, a tragic accident forever altered the course of his life.
Disfiguring injuries in a house fire
Hardison was inside a burning home when it collapsed on top of him.
“My mask was literally melting onto my face,” Hardison recalled, “and my hose had already turned to molten rubber.”
He managed a desperate escape through a window, but by then, flames had engulfed his head and upper torso, inflicting grievous injuries.
“For someone in our line of work, I’d never seen burns that severe on anyone still alive,” remembered Jimmy Neal, a friend and fellow first responder, reflecting on the aftermath.
Patrick endured third-degree burns spanning his entire face and scalp, with devastating damage extending across his head, neck, and upper chest. The inferno claimed his ears, lips, most of his nose, and the majority of his eyelid tissue.
“I didn’t actually see my reflection until probably November — I was injured in September,” Hardison told Fox News. “They’d cut a tiny pinhole in one eyelid because the rest was covered with skin grafts. When I looked in the mirror, all I could think was, ‘Is this really me? I can’t live like this,’” he shared.
A daunting new chapter awaited. Though Hardison endured 71 surgeries and numerous other interventions, normal facial movement remained elusive. Eating and laughing were agonizing, and blinking or closing his eyes was impossible.
Eventually, surgeons fashioned skin flaps to shield his vision, but the threat of gradual blindness lingered ominously.
As the years dragged on, Patrick struggled to reconcile with his altered visage. Simple moments with his children, or even solitude, became fraught with anguish. Onlookers would stare, and children often recoiled in fear.
Lost hope of living an ordinary life
Patrick was rarely seen without his signature baseball cap and dark sunglasses, complemented by custom prosthetic ears designed to mask his injuries.
“I had children, and those years were incredibly difficult,” he reflected. “There wasn’t a single day I got a break from the aftermath of my injury. Every time I stepped outside, it was like reliving the pain all over again. It’s indescribable.”
He added, “Going to the ballpark meant bracing myself for the child who would suddenly run away in terror.”
For years, Patrick endured relentless physical pain alongside the unrelenting stares of strangers as he walked through the streets. Gradually, despair crept in—he feared his scarred visage was a permanent sentence, a burden he’d carry for life.
As time unfolded, pioneering surgeons refined techniques for face transplants, culminating in 2005 when Isabelle Dinoire became the world’s first recipient of this groundbreaking surgery. Yet for Hardison, hope had long slipped through his fingers—he believed the help he desperately needed was beyond reach.
Then fate intervened when a friend crossed paths with Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. Having already performed a face transplant, Dr. Rodriguez spearheaded the search for a suitable donor for Patrick.
A year into the quest, only two potential donors had surfaced. The first seemed a compatible match—yet the tissue profile proved incompatible.
The second candidate appeared promising, but tragically, the family withdrew consent.
Resigned to the possibility that a transplant might never come, Patrick was preparing for the worst. Then, unexpectedly, a new donor emerged. LiveOnNY, a nonprofit coordinating organ donations in the New York area, identified a match: the face of David Rodebaugh, a 26-year-old who had suffered a catastrophic head injury in a bicycle accident and was declared brain dead.
Following David’s passing, his mother, Nancy Millar, chose to donate not only his vital organs—liver, heart, and kidneys—but also his face.
“I told them, ‘You better save his face. He had the face of a porcelain doll.’ And he was a donor—we had discussed it before,” Millar shared with People magazine.
Without hesitation, Nancy embraced the possibility of Patrick receiving her son’s face, viewing it as a way for David’s legacy to live on.
“When I first met Patrick, I saw a fierce strength—a rugged, masculine spirit that reminded me so much of David,” Nancy Millar reflected.
“David aspired to be a firefighter, and knowing Patrick was one too — willing to charge into flames risking his own life to save others — I knew the same grit ran through both of them.”
Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez gathered an elite team of 100 doctors, nurses, and medical specialists, meticulously preparing for what would become the most extensive soft tissue face transplant ever attempted. The marathon surgery spanned an arduous 26 hours.
The medical team bestowed upon Hardison a completely new face, including scalp, ears, and ear canals. They carefully transplanted bone segments from the chin, cheeks, and entire nose. Perhaps most profoundly, Patrick was given new eyelids, restoring his ability to blink naturally for the first time in years.
Yet the operation carried enormous peril. Given the intricacies involved, Patrick faced only a 50/50 chance of survival.
“Every moment in life carries risk,” Hardison told Time Magazine. “When your time comes, it comes—whether you’re crossing the street and get hit by a car, or lying on the operating table.”
Before the surgery began, Patrick gathered with his family, uncertain if it would be their last meeting.
Patrick’s eldest daughter, Alison, once questioned why her father was so determined to undergo such a daunting procedure.
“He told me, ‘I won’t have to hide behind a ball cap or sunglasses anymore. I’ll look normal when I walk you down the aisle,’” Alison remembered, her voice filled with emotion.
“That moment sealed it for me.”
Thankfully, the surgery was a resounding success, but it marked just the beginning of a grueling path ahead. In the first week after the operation, Patrick faced terrifying episodes—unstable blood pressure and compromised airways kept doctors on high alert.
The new face brought new challenges: relearning how to speak and swallow, grappling with waves of anxiety and frustration. His face was so swollen that even closing his mouth was impossible.
“They have given me a new life,” Patrick reflected.
Beyond the physical transformation, the emotional reunion with David Rodebaugh’s mother, Nancy Millar, was profound. Their first meeting after the surgery was filled with tears and tenderness, culminating in a heartfelt request from Nancy.
“I asked, ‘May I kiss your forehead?’” Nancy recalled. “That’s something I did every night for David before he went to bed when he was little.”
“I had been waiting a year to meet her,” Patrick said gratefully. “Without her generosity, none of this would have been possible. It feels like she’s family—we connected instantly.”
It has now been seven years since Patrick underwent his groundbreaking face transplant, a journey that has profoundly reshaped his existence. Though he and Chrissi parted ways a year after the surgery, ending a decade-long marriage, Patrick’s resilience shines through.
His new face has healed remarkably well; the swelling has receded, revealing the transformation beneath. While he must remain on lifelong immunosuppressant medication to prevent his body from rejecting the transplanted tissue, this remarkable procedure granted him the priceless gift of life renewed.
“I am profoundly thankful to my donor and his family,” Patrick expressed in a heartfelt statement.
“Though I never knew who they were, I prayed for them daily, understanding the immense sacrifice they made to give me this chance.”
“I hope they see in me the honor of their decision. And I am eternally grateful to Dr. Rodriguez and his extraordinary team. They didn’t just give me a new face—they gave me a new life.”
Patrick Hardison today – pictures
Today, Patrick—a devoted father of five—embraces his story as a beacon of hope, determined to inspire those grappling with life-altering injuries to never surrender. His journey is a testament that resilience can triumph even in the darkest moments.
“I’ve bought my own place and I’m in the process of building a house,” Patrick shared with Fox in 2021. “I’m also working on a book.”
“My goal is to show the world that hope endures. I wouldn’t want anyone who’s been where I was years ago to believe their life is over or limited by their circumstances. It’s not. You can overcome, you can achieve anything.”
Patrick Hardison’s recovery is a miracle, and we are incredibly inspired by surgeon Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez and his team. You are the real heroes!
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