"No One Gives Me A Second Look" - Shotgun Victim With Most Ambitious Face Transplant Covers GQ Magazine

Horribly disfigured after a shotgun accident blew off half his face, the 39-year-old Richard Lee Norris, underwent one of the most complex face transplants in history, receiving teeth, a jaw and even a tongue from a donor. The 36-hour hour operation was extremely controversial - it was elective surgery, and
Norris only had a 50 percent chance of survival but the result was not only a new life for him, but a ground-breaking new study for doctors learning to treat soldiers and other victims of severe facial injuries.

 'A drop of hope can create an ocean, but a bucket of faith can create an entire world,' Norris tells GQ, which he is on the cover of next month.

Norris said he is proud to be a 'lab rat' and happy to spend the rest of his life in and out of hospitals being evaluated by surgeons.

The doctor that performed the operation at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Dr Eduardo Rodriguez, said when Norris opted to undergo the intense procedure, he was agreeing to take on an enormous responsibility. 'He never really thought about himself in all of this,' Rodriguez told the magazine. 'He's always thought about helping the wounded warriors and the other people, and providing hope. He's a remarkable man.'

Norris was 22 when his face 'exploded'. He had arrived home drunk and was arguing with his mother when he took a shotgun from his gun cabinet and told his mom he was going to shoot himself. He racked a shell into the chamber and the gun went off. There was human flesh, bone and teeth on all four walls of Norris' bedroom and all over his mother.

Each day became a living nightmare for Norris as he faced cruelty from strangers whenever he ventured outdoors, fought addiction and contemplated suicide. The accident left Norris with no teeth, no nose and only part of his tongue. He was still able to taste but could not smell. When he went out in public, usually at night, he hid behind a hat and mask.

Norris had dozens of surgeries to repair his face, but eventually reached the limits of what conventional surgery could do for him, said Dr. Rodriguez. Read the rest of the Inspirational story here