In 2011, in what felt like a nightmare, Maurice Desjardins, 65, accidentally shot himself in the face with a hunting rifle.
His whole face was severely damaged including the skin, bones, nerves, nose, mouth and teeth – Maurice’s face was heavily disfigured.
The next few years were extremely challenging for him and his wife, Gaétane, who ultimately gave up her job to care for him.
Surgeons had created an air passage so he could breathe better, by making a hole in the front of his neck to his windpipe.
On his GoFundMe page, Maurice writes: “I was living without a face for 7 years. I was not able to speak, eat, drink, or breath properly. I was dependant on a tracheostomy. I was was waiting for the transplant for 3 years.”
In May 2018, he finally received a transplant and regained his identity.
He said: “It was the greatest gift and a second chance at life.”
Led by surgeon, Dr Daniel Borsuk, Maurice was told of the complications and the chances of survival if he were to go ahead with the operation.
Dr Borsuk recalls the heartbreaking conversation: “I said, ‘Maurice, you could die on the table, or even right after the operation.
“He replied, ‘Do you think I have a life now?'”
Maurice added: “I am always being judged by others. I’d rather die than keep living like this.
“I don’t care what face I’m going to get, as long as I look like everybody else,” reports CBCnews.
Although he is still unable to speak, the operation transformed his life and gave him back his identity.