He Spent Seven Years Without a Face After an Accident — Until One Surgery Gave Him a Second Chance at Life

In 2011, a hunting accident left 65-year-old Maurice Desjardins with a severely disfigured face, destroying his facial bones, skin, nose, mouth, nerves, and teeth. For seven years, he lived in pain, unable to eat, speak, or breathe properly, relying on a tracheostomy and his wife Gaétane’s care. Isolated and judged, Maurice lost hope. In May 2018, he underwent Canada’s first face transplant, a risky 30-hour surgery led by Dr. Daniel Borsuk at Montreal’s Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. Despite warnings he might not survive, Maurice, desperate for a normal life, said, “Do you think I’m really living now?” The transplant, a Canadian first, restored his ability to breathe, chew, smell, and speak. Though recovery is ongoing, requiring lifelong immunosuppressants, Maurice regained his identity and dignity, calling the surgery “the greatest gift.” He can now face the world without hiding