thihis is a special edition of "nightline." brave face. >> tonight, he's the courageous former firefighter. pa 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 50-50. his first look in n the mirror. and the tearful family reunion 14 years in the making. a hero's homecoming. and pat's second chance to smile. >> that's great. >> announcer: this special

face," will be right back. o'. >> announcer: this is a special edition of "nightline." "brave face." good evening.g. 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 wts 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 off your hat. >> reporter: that rest on prosthetic ears. >>an 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 atattempted. a medical team led by surgeon eduardo rodriguez has been

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. >> reporr: he warns pat the instaking procedure to remove his scar-tissued face and replace it with a new one could kill him. his chance of surviving, just 5050 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 undstand 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 physical and mental, fm the fire that burd 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 sheas at home. me and pat went into the bedroooom. everything kind of fell apart.t. >> 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 firefighte 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 the last time i'd ever see him alive. >> you know, daddy left one way and then when i came back homee i was a totally different person. >> reporter: pat spent 63 days in the hospital recovering from 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 through was the first time i saw him. >> reporter: alison, pat's oldest daughter, was just 6 at

>> and i remember goioing 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 devastatedamily 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. doctors were able to approximate a mouth, nose, and lips, even fashioning those ears. >> look to the left. and look to the right. >> reporter: but there was nothing they couldld do abouhis missing eyelids. withouthem pat would go blind. >> he went through i don't know, 50, 60, 70 surgeries over a period of three, four, ve 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 trailblblazing rgeon. 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 dow and ensure that they completely understand what they're getting into. >> these are great, great photographs in here. >> reporter: before moving 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

>> 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. >> reporter: but they needed the perfect donor. the wait was excruciating. >> just a dayy-day thing. you get up every morning, you think it's the day today. next day the same way. >> he basically told me he living. are getting the surgery. >> reporter: only possible through a twist of fate that would forever link pat to a man 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

>> 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 thehe scene of his accident. dave's mom thereor the tribute. dave matched every sine 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 donatate his organs, she didn't hesitate. >> she knew straightaway david would have d donenything 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. >> reporter: dave was the perfec donor. 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 >> feell gd? >> yeah, feel good. >> reporter: a quick hug from

his sister and pat's wheeled into the o.r. dr. rodriguez's plan -- remov what's left of pat's scarred face and scalp and replace them with donor tissue, muscles and 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 workiking 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' face is slowly a delicately removed. every incision perfectly timed and in sequence. they now begin removing pat's face. >> there's constant communication. so they do notot compromise the scalp until i can give them confirmation that the scalp is 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..

at all times to know that we're on track with every stepp of our 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 esseially looking at raw tissue. the musclele the facial expression, the eyeballs are essentially exposed. >> reporter: pat is just a few feetway 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 basically land this on the moon perfectly.

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halfway through the most ambitious face transplant surgery ever attempted, doctors have removeded 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 hardiso is lying on the operating table next door. his now exposed face ready for the transplant.

we started going into the other room, it's like starting a whole new operation. >> everybody ready? >> yeah. >> reporter: lead surgeon dr. uardo 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 scp, the ears, everything is pink. so a at this point i'm feeling pretty good. but i know that we still have a 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 t inset the back of the scalp. >> reporter: anchoring bones, nerves, muscles, before securing

the final sutures in place 26 hours after surgery began. >> g good b. 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 compromiseddy 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 grezriguez worries his new appearance could frighten him. >> are you nervous? >> no. >> no? not at all? do you have any idea what to expect, what it's going to look like? so here we go. 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. >> rorter: 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, rit? what do you think of that? >> reporter: pat's recovery is remarkable. after nearly three months his w face taking shape over his cheekbones. sitting with him face to face 87 daysfter surgery his scars hidden just under his ll, a 41-year-old man with a 26-year-old face. >> how are you feeling? >> i feel good. >> how much feeling do you have now in your face, in your he? >> it's getting better. some here. go. the swelling and the feeling. along. >> reporter: we were finally

was willing to risk everything. >> i never thought like that. the risk of dying becau 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, relearn to chew, relearn to talk. >> i told the doctor in the beginning, i said you do your part, i'll do mine. >> 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.

>> 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 veryemotional. >> what is that emotion? is that just -- >> i guess that's what they call 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 thihis? >> being aquayway from my kids. >> being away from your kids. >> love you. >> 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. >>acking for new york. >> reporter: and eight weeks after surgery -- >> are you excited about seeing dad? >> yes. >> scared? >> no. >> anxious? yes. >> excited? >> yes. >> reporter: they're getting into new york. >> reporter: pat's nervous about how they'll react when they see his new face for the first time. do. >> reporter: when "nightline" returns. [cough, cough] mike? janet? cough if youou can heame. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike?

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pat hardison's kids haven't seen their dad in two months. after rereceivinghe 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. >> 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 comoming 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. we're fixing to catch up now, though. [ cheers ] >> reporter: and six weeks later, reunited again as he returns home to mississippi. >> one, two, three. let me take a couple. >> reporter: a parade for a home town hero. [ cheers and applause ] but he reserves that hon for the man who made it possible. his donor. >> he's the hero.

>> you're getting emotional. >> it's emotial 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 on our "nightline" facebook page "the insider" from hollywood. your 24/7 celebrity conversation. >> it wasn't just like a kiss. it started getting uncomfortable. >> meghan and charlie's steamy ama makeup had everyone puckering up. >> i'm on the red carpet and backstage with the night's most

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