Isabelle Dinoire, the Frenchwoman who received the world’s first partial face transplant following a mauling attack by her dog, has died 11 years after the groundbreaking surgery made worldwide news in 2005. She was 49.
Amiens Hospital, who performed the procedure, released a statement regarding the passing of Dinoire, saying Dinoire died on April 22, 2016 “following a long illness.” Reports indicated that the medicine necessary to help her body accept the transplants may have made her more susceptible to the growth of cancer.
Dinoire reportedly had developed two forms of cancer before her death, although it’s not clear if either caused her passing. Originally Dinoire’s family wanted her death to remain private, but the hospital went public with the news following a report of the death by French media outlets.
Following an attack by her pet Labrador, Dinoire was given a new nose, chin, and lips transplanted from a patient that had recently committed suicide. The 15-hour procedure was initially deemed a success, but Dinoire had complications as the years passed. There were ups and downs that came with the testing of a groundbreaking operation, but Dinoire consistently expressed her gratitude and thanks for the second chance at normalcy, telling CNN, “It may be someone else’s face, but when I look in the mirror, I see me.”
In the years following Dinoire’s face transplant the procedure became more common. Since the 2005 operation, surgeons in the United States, Spain, China, Belgium, Poland and Turkey have successfully completed partial or full face transplants.
(Via The Big Story)