Though the patient’s prognosis was far from certain, last spring’s face transplant conducted by a Montreal medical team was a watershed moment in Canadian medicine. Since then, Maurice Desjardins’ life has been fraught with challenges, but he has avoided the worst-case scenario, which would have been his body rejecting the graft.

According to a segment on Radio-Canada’s Découverte show last year, Desjardins sustained facial deformity after a hunting accident in 2011. In addition to major muscle, bone, and nerve damage, he was left with only half of his face and chronic discomfort. How a Quebec man became a Canadian medical miracle: The face of a stranger Everything changed in the spring of last year, when surgeon Dr. Daniel Borsuk and his colleagues at Montreal’s Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital performed the high-risk procedure. Desjardins’ complete face was successfully rebuilt using a donor’s jaw, teeth, nose, and cartilage.

Borsuk recently told Découverte, “I was in control during the graft, but afterwards, during the recovery time, I was no longer in control of anything,” and said that Desjardins has had a difficult year. Desjardins still has a feeding tube, so eating is one of several challenges he faces. He needs to pulverize everything before he can eat it. He has lost sixty-five pounds after the treatment.

Gaétane, his wife, is primarily responsible for his care. She drives Desjardins from their home in Notre-Dame-de-la-Sallette to Montreal, which is two hours away, and helps him administer the approximately fifteen pills he needs to take each day. Maurice puts me at ease. I get stressed when I’m not with him. “I am always frightened of making a mistake. There are many different types of medications. “I need to pay close attention to what I’m doing,” she told Découverte. “It’s really a 24/7 job.”

Gaétane quit her job to care for her hubby full-time after it got too much for her to handle. As a result, the couple lost money. Borsuk said he was ignorant that transplant patients lacked financial support. “I think that we have a great public [health care] system and I think it works really well, but the problem with some of these transplant patients is most of them don’t live near a transplant centre,” he said.

“They must leave their houses, get into their cars, pay for parking, gas, and medication, which are not usually reimbursed. As a result, this year has been rather pricey for these people.Unique patient-doctor bond Dr. Borsuk and his patient have built a close relationship over the course of their shared journey. “There have been plenty of ups and downs. In a recent interview with Découverte, Desjardins noted, “A lot of waves”.

According to Borsuk, they share every win and defeat. They frequently hold hands or cuddle during exams. “I am close to my patients, but with him, it’s another level,” Borsuk added. “Perhaps it’s a little too close? But that is on me.” The surgeon admitted that maintaining relationships with patients like Desjardins can be difficult since he is constantly concerned about his everyday well-being.

“When I see Maurice, I am relaxed,” Borsuk added. “It’s when I’m not with him, that’s when I’m stressed.”Desjardins will need to take powerful immunosuppressive medications for the rest of his life as a result of his new appearance. The medicine has two drawbacks: it prevents his body from rejecting the transplant, but it also makes him susceptible to mild diseases.

Gaétane stated, “He caught everything that he could catch.” Desjardins went to the hospital several times during his recovery because he had three severe infections. He remained in the hospital for three months in total. Everything culminated in March when he had diverticulitis, a digestive tract infection. His intestines were infected and eventually burst in a pocket.

He underwent surgery to implant a temporary colostomy bag, which is an external pouch that will store his body’s waste until his intestine heals. Desjardins and his husband have been under a lot of stress as a result of their hospital stays and constant exams. He lost enthusiasm and neglected his exercises for a few months, therefore he needs to regain full control of his jaw and facial muscles.

Dr. Borsuk replied, “I don’t blame him. It’s difficult to concentrate on your exercises when you have bodily pain.” Desjardins lasted two weeks without an infection in April 2019, which was the first time in a year. “I have been happy for two weeks, because I’ve been out of the hospital for two weeks,” he said at the time. However, as a result of his gym break, Desjardins’ speech is limited, and he can no longer close his mouth as completely as he used to. He finds it difficult to express himself.

Desjardins’ speech can be difficult to understand, therefore Gaétane will regularly “translate” for the benefit of others when he speaks. Borsuk expressed confidence that his patient will put out a lot of effort to regain control over his jaw. He said, “I am confident he will get it back. It’s like wearing a cast on your wrist: if you don’t move it for a month, it will stiffen.”

Dr. Suzon Collette is monitoring Desjardins’ rehabilitation, and he has claimed that his experiences over the last year are typical of a patient following a transplant. “There are good times, months where everything is going well, and then there are steps back, defeats, unexpected things,” she said. Collette added that, in the end, the patients are able to conquer the hurdles.

Desjardins has found it easy to accept his new physical identity. When he saw a stranger’s reflection in the mirror, the medical personnel worried that he would get upset or disturbed. It is true that he now considers himself beautiful. Indeed, he is. Desjardins, however, said that it was not difficult for him. Above all, he feels appreciative.

“It’s going really well. “I’m extremely grateful to the donor’s family,” he stated.Gaétane professed a like for her husband’s appearance. She stated he hadn’t given his face any thought before to the accident. “He now considers himself attractive, and this is true. “He is,” she replied. Desjardins indicated that he has no regrets about the surgery, despite the pain and challenges he endured following the procedure. He recently said, “It was worth it,” while holding hands with his wife and relaxing on his couch at home.