tv News 9 Tonight ABC November 24, 2015 1:37am-2:12am EST
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>> i answered. it was a-23. >> jimmy: yeah, it's a-23. but -- >> announcer: that is correct. >> jimmy: this is already an insurmountable lead. the next question goes to the j.j.? >> how many skiffs accompanied jabba the hutt's sail barge? >> jimmy: how many skiffs accompanied jabba the hutt's -- >> seven. >> is that your final answer? >> yes. >> it is wrong. >> thank you. >> no! >> jimmy: arden, how many skiffs? >> two. >> that's right. >> announcer: that is correct. >> jimmy: arden, quick follow-up question. what is a skiff? >> well, it's like a thing that like has like -- i really can't explain it. >> jimmy: okay. >> but it carries prisoners sometimes. >> jimmy: okay. all right. the next question is for arden. he has a huge lead, 40 points. there's really no point in
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continuing but we are going to anyway. j.j.? >> during the battle of yaven yaven jek porkins was assisted by which droid? >> r5-d8. >> that is correct. >> jimmy: let's have another one just for the hell of it to see if you guys -- have any of you seen "star wars"? [ laughter ] >> i studied for it. >> jimmy: you studied for this. well, you failed. >> what talking bay in moss >> oh. i know that. somewhere. >> jimmy: you have ten seconds. >> what was it? >> jimmy: the question again. >> what docking bay in moss isley housed the millennium falcon? >> 3. >> docking bay 94. >> that is correct. [ applause ] >> jimmy: i think this game is over, and i think we have a winner, and i think his name is arden.
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for your efforts tonight, we have a very special collection of gifts for you. we got you -- arden. a whole wheelbarrow full of stuff. you want to come look at it? so all the stuff in the wheelbarrow, this is for you. and the cast and j.j. signed the storm trooper for you. [ applause ] so nicely done. and you get to take r2-d2 and guillermo home also. [ applause ] thanks to j.j. we'll be right back. [ cheers and applause ] it's been her fight for twenty years. something is wrong with our
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>> jimmy: i want to thank adam, daisy, john, and carrie. i want to thank the director j.j. abrams. thank you guys all so much. our storm troopers. r2-d2, harrison ford, chewbacca. apologies to matt damon. hey, congratulations, arden, by the way. >> thanks. >> jimmy: how do you think those other guys did? >> pretty good. >> jimmy: pretty good. but wait a minute. they didn't get any of the answers.
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are you just being nice right now? yeah. okay. thanks for watching. "nightline" is next. good night. [ cheers and applause ] this is a special edition of "nightline." brave face. >> tonight, he's the courageous former firefighter. pat hardison's face severely burned in the line of duty. tonight, we're there with the pioneering surgical team determined to restore one man's brave face. one family's tragic loss and their profound generosity is the ray of hope this family's been waiting for. but the odds of survival just
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good evening. thanks for joining us. tonight, inside a medical marvel. an unprecedented, in many ways unbelievable full face transplant. it's the story of a heroic firefighter, his face burned in a rescue mission. a bmx biker whose generosity of spirit makes it possible. and the top-notch surgeon on the frontier of modern medicine. three remarkable men whose lives are now forever linked. i got to sit down with the recipient, pat hardison, for his one and only tv interview. and his transformation took my breath away. in a city where people will do almost anything to stand out, pat hardison just wants to blend in. >> it's really unbelievable all the stuff that you see in new york. my daughters would love it because they could shop forever. >> reporter: a loving father of five from mississippi who for 14 yarz years now has hidden behind a hat and sunglasses. >> i'm going to have you take
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off your hat. >> reporter: that rest on prosthetic ears. >> can you take off your ears for me for a second? see how these are doing. >> reporter: pat's come to nyu langone medical center to undergo the most extensive face transplant ever attempted. a medical team led by surgeon eduardo rodriguez has been preparing for this unprecedented surgery for three years now. >> this is a very graphic image, but it gives you an understanding of everything that's going to be removed. >> reporter: he warns pat the painstaking procedure to remove his scar-tissued face and replace it with a new one could kill him. his chance of surviving, just 50 50. >> the reality is we can make you much worse than you are now. and if this were not to work we've actually made you worse than you were before. so you completely understand this, right? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: it's a risk pat is more than willing to take because for more than a decade pat's lived with the scars, both
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fire that burned off his face. >> just like every other fire. >> reporter: it was 2001. pat was a volunteer fireman responding to a house fire. he rushed head long into the flames to rescue a woman believed to be inside. >> went in looking for a lady. >> nobody was sure if she was at home. me and pat went into the bedroom. everything kind of fell apart. >> i can't remember it because i thought -- i just remember the ceiling collapsed and i would ko just see everything coming down. >> reporter: pat's face was burned so badly the other firefighters didn't even know it was him until they loaded him into the ambulance. >> he pulled me down over his face and he said take care of christie and the kids. that's when i knew who i had. >> we closed the door on that ambulance, and i figured it was alive. >> you know, daddy left one way and then when i came back home i was a totally different person. >> reporter: pat spent 63 days in the hospital recovering from
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burns that robbed him of his scalp, ears, and nose. his eyelids and lips also gone. when he got home, his young children were terrified. >> i think the first time i realized what he had gone him. >> reporter: alison, pat's the time. >> and i remember going up to the house and my mom and stepdad literally had to drag me in the house because i was scared. >> reporter: over time his devastated family adjusted. >> to us he became normal. he looked normal. we didn't think anything of it. >> reporter: ever the family man, he went on to have two more children. but inside he was struggling. the guy once known as the life of the party became withdrawn, depressed, and began abusing his pain medication. his friends felt helpless. >> it was hard for me to tell him. and it's even harder for him to hear it and accept it as the truth. >> reporter: he endured months of surgeries.
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a mouth, nose, and lips, even fashioning those ears. >> look to the left. and look to the right. >> reporter: but there was nothing they could do about his missing eyelids. without them pat would go blind. >> he went through i don't know, 50, 60, 70 surgeries over a period of three, four, five years. i can't imagine what it does to you mentally. >> reporter: so he was eager to do whatever it took to get his life back. hopes now pinned on a trailblazing surgeon. >> there are a lot of pieces that have to come together. >> reporter: in the emerging field of face transplants. did he need this surgery? >> no. >> reporter: in the traditional sense. >> he could have stayed this way for as long as he lived. however, pat was not living by our standards. >> let's go. i'm that ready. >> reporter: for patients like that it's important to kind of slow the process down and ensure that they completely understand what they're getting into. >> these are great, great photographs in here. >> reporter: before moving
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forward dr. rodriguez needed to manage pat and his family's expectations. >> what if we do the surgery and everything is reasonably successful but your expectations are not met? >> i'll be better than what i am today. i'm not saying i'll get back like i was and, you know, before 2001. i'm saying get me back normal-looking as you can. >> reporter: nyu langone medical center would cover the million-dollar procedure in the name of research. >> i was a little freaked out about it. i knew it was something he would want to help make him feel what you would call normal again. perfect donor. the wait was excruciating. >> just a day-by-day thing. think it's the day today. next day the same way. >> he basically told me he living. we prayed about it, and here we are getting the surgery. but yeah, it was tough. >> reporter: only possible through a twist of fate that
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he would never meet. >> dave was without a doubt like the best guy you never met. >> reporter: his name was dave rodebaugh, a 26-year-old bike mechanic who lived in brooklyn, new york. dave loved to ride. he even won this red bull-sponsored race last year. >> oh, what an upset. >> reporter: dave was fatally injured biking home from work. his tight-knit group of friends memorializing him with a ghost bike at the scene of his accident. dave's mom there for the tribute. dave matched every single criteria pat and his doctors had been waiting for. age, hair, skin color, blood type. even skeletal measurements. when dave's mom was asked if she'd donate his organs, she didn't hesitate. >> she knew straightaway david would have done anything to help. she was told she could never have children and she had david. and she felt very much that he was a miracle and that by doing this the miracle would continue.
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and his kidneys, liver, and heart would save four other lives. >> the man that got his heart, i'd like to just like meet him and be like i'd like you to know that you have a lion's heart. >> feel good? >> yeah, feel good. >> reporter: a quick hug from his sister and pat's wheeled into the o.r. dr. rodriguez's plan -- remove what's left of pat's scarred face and scalp and replace them even nerves. the donor's body in the room next door, where another surgical team takes a moment to reflect before surgery. >> may we now all take a moment of silence and honor the life of david rodebaugh. >> reporter: a warning. some of the footage you're about to see is graphic. dr. rodriguez begins working on the donor. every step finely choreographed with the team next door. >> our watches are synchronized. the teams are ready to go. >> reporter: the donor's face is slowly and delicately removed.
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and in sequence. they now begin removing pat's face. >> there's constant communication. so they do not compromise the scalp until i can give them viable. they do not take the eyelids off until they know that i've reached the point of no return. because we have to keep pat safe. and i keep an eye on the clock at all times to know that we're operation. >> reporter: eight hours later pat's face, which was mostly scar tissue, has been removed. >> well, when you take someone's entire face off, then you're essentially looking at raw tissue. the muscles, the facial expression, the eyeballs are essentially exposed. >> reporter: pat is just a few feet away from his new face. the transplant can finally begin. >> there's a lot of concern in my mind, are we able to deliver this? we've got one chance to perfectly.
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i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. pnot only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, t but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding v than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. pdon't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. peliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. pdon't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. pif you had a spinal injection while on eliquis pcall your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. pwhile taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily...
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surgery ever attempted, doctors have removed the donor's face. >> face is going to the other room now. >> reporter: a warning. some of the footage you're about to see is graphic. former firefighter pat hardison is lying on the operating table next door. his now exposed face ready for the transplant. >> when we removed the face and we started going into the other room, it's like starting a whole new operation. >> everybody ready? >> yeah. >> reporter: lead surgeon dr. eduardo rodriguez positions the face. he now must quickly get blood circulating to it before the tissue starts to die. it's been without blood flow for almost three hours. >> until the face becomes pink my heart's racing. >> reporter: it's an intricate process. stitching together the blood vessels. >> okay. we're open. >> reporter: then within seconds -- >> see the pink? >> reporter: pat's heart is now pumping blood into his new face. >> the entire face, the scalp, the ears, everything is pink. so at this point i'm feeling pretty good. but i know that we still have a
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lot more work ahead of us. >> reporter: the surgical team worked straight through the night. >> we stabilized the remaining portions of the skeleton. we stabilized the inside lining of the mouth. we secure the eyelids. and now we begin to inset the back of the scalp. >> reporter: anchoring bones, nerves, muscles, before securing the outer skin. the final sutures in place 26 hours after surgery began. >> good job. congratulations, everyone. excellent job today. >> when the surgery was over, what went through your mind? >> now you start thinking about what's going to happen. >> ironically, now you've entered the danger zone. >> correct. >> reporter: infection is the main concern. pat's immune system is compromised by the anti-rejection medications he'll be on for the rest of his life. nine days after surgery pat is finally out of bed but has yet to see his new face. dr. rod grez riguez worries his new appearance could frighten him.
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>> no. >> no? not at all? do you have any idea what to like? here. give me your hand. just go ahead and turn that around and just take a close look at it. let me see a gauze. >> reporter: he takes in his new reflection for the very first time. >> you see your hair growing? can you see your beard? >> reporter: his hands exploring the strange yet familiar features he thought he'd never have again. >> what do you think about your ears? this is something that's great, right? what do you think of that? >> reporter: pat's recovery is remarkable. after nearly three months his new face taking shape over his own bone structure, piz his brow and cheekbones. sitting with him face to face 87 days after surgery his scars hidden just under his collar, a 41-year-old man with a
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26-year-old face. >> how are you feeling? >> i feel good. >> how much feeling do you have now in your face, in your head? >> it's getting better. some here. down it's still got a ways to go. the swelling and the feeling. but everything else, it's coming along. >> reporter: we were finally able to ask him directly why he was willing to risk everything. >> i never thought like that. the risk of dying because that never scared me because there's things in life that are way worse than death. >> there are things in life way worse than death? >> yeah. and i had lived like that for 14 years. >> reporter: even though the speed of his recovery surprises doctors, the frustrating first few weeks post-surgery tests his limits. you had to relearn to swallow, talk. >> i told the doctor in the beginning, i said you do your
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>> because this operation was so extensive we did harm his swallowing mechanism. >> good job. again. wait. don't run out. >> we've had this discussion for a year now. we're just going to keep working. it's like so much, so much better. >> reporter: pat spends hours every day training. >> deep breath. and you know what to do. >> reporter: fighting for every hint of facial expression. >> those muscles from the donor, they do not have any functional input. the nerves are not connected. but if the muscles are perfectly aligned with pat's face, his muscles will power the new face. >> and smile. >> reporter: doctors say he'll get better at smiling, winking, and talking. pat's already overwhelmed by the transformation. >> oh, i stare -- nobody's scaring the kids. it's very emotional. >> what is that emotion? is that just -- >> i guess that's what they call
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happy tears. >> happy tears. >> i've been upset so much over the last 14 years. because i've had to face it every day. and then now it's like people see you. >> there's nothing like being just a face in the crowd. >> that's all i am. another face in the crowd. >> what's been the hardest part of all this? >> being aquay way from my kids. >> love you. >> love you. miss you. >> reporter: his kids back in mississippi have yet to see a picture of their dad. shielding them until he's ready. >> reporter: and eight weeks after surgery -- dad? >> yes. >> scared? >> no. >> anxious? >> yes. >> excited? >> reporter: they're getting ready to visit him. into new york. >> reporter: pat's nervous about
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his new face for the first time. >> i'm going to knock on the door. >> reporter: when "nightline" returns. [cough, cough] mike? janet? cough if you can hear me. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? he has that dry scratchy thing going on. guess what? it works on his cough too. cough! guess what? it works on his cough too. what? stop! don't pull me! spoiler alert! she doesn't make it! only mucinex dm relieves both wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with two medicines in one pill. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. more "sit" per roll. bounty is two times more absorbent.
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it's been her fight for twenty years. something is wrong with our healthcare system and it needs to be fixed. then, it was about health reform and getting eight million kids covered. now, it's about stopping republicans from repealing obamacare, and taking on insurance companies to bring down drug prices. i'm not going to let any family be deprived of healthcare. i'm not going to let the republicans rip up obamacare and throw it away.
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pat hardison's kids haven't seen their dad in two months. after receiving the most ambitious face transplant ever, he's kept his new appearance hidden from them as he's healed. >> seeing my kids. nothing better than that. >> reporter: and finally, it's time to meet face to face. >> right here? >> yeah.
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>> hey, dad. >> i love you. >> see? look. >> reporter: after an emotional embrace they can't help but stare at their dad's new features. the whole reason he risked his life now coming into focus. >> i'm looking forward to getting my vision fixed hopefully and loading my kids up and taking them on a vacation to disney world or somewhere just me, my kids and the stuff that we missed out on. >> you missed out on a lot of their childhood. >> i did. i hate that. [ cheers ] >> reporter: and six weeks later, reunited again as he returns home to mississippi. >> one, two, three. let me take a couple.
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town hero. [ cheers and applause ] but he reserves that honor for the man who made it possible. his donor. >> he's the hero. he's the one because he -- >> you're getting emotional. >> it's emotional when you think about it. that donor and his family gave me this gift. and i can never thank them enough for giving me something as great as this. something i thought i would never have. >> our sincere thanks to nyu langone medical center and to pat and his entire family. all the best. thanks for watching abc news. tune in to "good morning america" tomorrow. and as always, we're online 24/7
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