Derek Pfaff, a Michigan resident and suicide survivor, has undergone a groundbreaking facial reconstruction surgery after a devastating incident in 2020.
Trigger warning: This article mentions s*icide. Reader discretion is advised.
Derek Pfaff survived a self-inflicted shotgun injury, leaving him with severe facial disfigurement. Determined to rebuild his life, he pursued an innovative face transplant procedure at Mayo Clinic, joining a select group of recipients globally.
Now, a GoFundMe account set up by his mother, Lisa Pfaff, has successfully managed to raise over $274,200 USD as the insurance paperwork was denied due to the procedure being an 'experimental surgery.'
What urged Derek Pfaff to attempt to end his life?
Derek Pfaff recalls feeling overwhelmed with stress during his college years. He remembers returning home for spring break in March 2014 but has no memory of the night that would alter his life forever. In an interview, Derek said:
“I was under a lot of pressure at college... I don’t remember making the decision to take my own life. When I woke up in the hospital, I originally thought I had been in a car accident.”
In March 2014, Derek Pfaff made a desperate decision to end his life with a 10-gauge shotgun, severely injuring his face in the process. While he miraculously survived the attempt, the damage to his face was devastating, leaving him unable to smile, eat solid foods, blink, or even smell.
Over the following years, Derek underwent 58 facial reconstructive surgeries. While these procedures helped, they couldn't fully restore his appearance. He remained without a nose, teeth, eyelids, and parts of his jaw and forehead, and struggled with speaking and eating.
“There was still a lot of work to be done, and the hospital had done all it could,” said his mother, Lisa Pfaff.
A doctor eventually told her,
“The only option left for Derek is a face transplant.”
How did the Mayo Clinic perform the face transplant surgery for Derek Pfaff?
In February 2024, Mayo Clinic surgeons successfully carried out a groundbreaking face transplant on Derek, a procedure that spanned more than 50 hours. This operation was supported by a vast team of over 80 medical professionals, ranging from surgeons and anesthesiologists to nurses, technicians, assistants, and various specialists.
The operation was led by Dr. Samir Mardini, a facial reconstructive and reanimation surgeon who serves as the surgical director of Mayo Clinic’s Reconstructive Transplant Program.
The surgery was carefully planned over several months, with a digital surgical strategy created using advanced imaging techniques.
The complex transplant involved reconstructing nearly all of the facial features below Derek Pfaff's eyebrows and part of his forehead. This included the upper and lower eyelids, orbital fat, both the upper and lower jaws, teeth, nose, cheekbones, neck skin, as well as sections of the hard and soft palate.
As reported by Huron Daily Tribune, after the surgery, Derek said:
“This surgery has transformed my life... I feel so much more confident. I am hoping to one day meet someone, settle down and have a family. I’m also going to keep sharing my story with others to help as many people as I can.”
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On the GoFundMe account set up to cover Derek Pfaff's medical expenses, Lisa Pfaff, his mother, mentions, 'He was approved for the surgery, pending the funding.' She also mentions that the insurance denied coverage, labeling the procedure as 'experimental,' and also refused to cover the lifetime cost of anti-rejection medications.
She urges people to help, as despite her and her husband working full-time jobs, they won't be able to afford the cost of the procedure and expensive lifetime medications.
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