Patrick Hardison, a volunteer firefighter from Mississippi, suffered life-altering burns in 2001 when a house collapsed on him during a fire rescue. His face, scalp, ears, lips, and eyelids were severely burned. “My mask was melting to my face,” he recalled. His injuries left him unable to close his eyes, eat without pain, or face the world without stares. “You go to the ball field, you have to prepare yourself for the kid that goes running off screaming,” he said.

After undergoing over 70 surgeries, Patrick lost hope—until he met Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez, who offered him a full-face transplant if a donor was found. In 2015, he received the face of David Rodebaugh, a 26-year-old who suffered a fatal bike accident. “I said, ‘You better save his face,’” David’s mother, Nancy, recalled. The 26-hour procedure, performed by 100 specialists, was a success.

Patrick received a new face, scalp, and eyelids, saving his vision. When he met Nancy, she asked, “Can I kiss your forehead?”—a tradition she had with David. Now, Patrick is thriving and writing a book to inspire others. “You can accomplish anything,” he says.