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Face Off – from the silver screen to reality

The 1997 film Face Off, staring John Travolta is the story about two men changing faces in order for a federal agent to go under cover as the antagonist “Castor Troy”.  Such a story was the stuff of Hollywood magic — until now!  In the news today, a woman has been given a new face!  That’s right, the woman – whose name is not being release – suffered some injury that caused extreme damage to her face and a new medical procedure allowed doctors to give her a face transplant.  According to CNN, three other transplants have occurred.  The discussion currently surrounds the ethics of the procedure.

My wife was against my being an organ donor because she doesn’t want any of me to not be there when they put me in the ground; I can image what she would say about someone else getting my face (not that anyone would actually want it).  The pundits are describing the surgery as a medically necessity, and not as cosmetic.  I think if I had a disfigurement that was so bad that a nose job or face lift just could not fix – I would want to be able to consider getting a new face – but would you want anyone to walk around with your face?

Behind those questions, think of this – as with any transplant, the patient’s body could reject it!  Then what?  Its not like they can just put the old face back on.  It took four years for the doctors to go through with the procedure for both technical and ethical reasons.  Before the procedure, this woman was alive but disfigured – if the procedure had failed, she could have died.  Did they get it right?

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think…

2 replies on “Face Off – from the silver screen to reality”

I can’t believe you aren’t an organ donor! well, I guess I can since I wasn’t even one until recently. I am trying to find the video that changed my mind but I can’t find it now. I thought I had saved it but I guess I didn’t. It is so very hard for me to believe that anyone who has had kids would not be an organ donor! Imagine all the lives you cold save! And its not like you’re going be killed in order to pass along your organs. You can even pick and choose which ones.

I am still going to look for that video for you to watch. It was the most moving thing I have ever seen. Basically, it was a little baby who needed a transplant but couldn’t get one in time and died. I am sure there are lots of over stories and just summing it up into a sentence does not do the story justice… but I can’t believe you aren’t an organ donor! tsk tsk.

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