tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post8378085841442930476..comments2024-03-28T09:06:06.709-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/28/24: National Geographic's amazing journey with youngest face transplant recipientNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-73923717279318103542018-09-12T20:40:08.499-05:002018-09-12T20:40:08.499-05:00Navy films or TV shows about real surgery make me ...Navy films or TV shows about real surgery make me uncomfortable, and I will probably experience that when I read Katie's story. But I feel obligated, if she can get through it, so can I.JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08613528527379198505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-38082996896890065652018-09-10T16:46:21.708-05:002018-09-10T16:46:21.708-05:00I'm also prone to skin cancer, luckily for me ...I'm also prone to skin cancer, luckily for me the less severe kind, and my dermatologist has removed several small portions of my face from time to time. One tiny cancer in the middle of my forehead morphed into a lot larger scar but by no means as disfiguring as those you live with. I tell people it's my prefrontal lobotomy scar.<br /><br />johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-89983666510771955022018-09-10T16:14:28.187-05:002018-09-10T16:14:28.187-05:00No, the boys are gone to school, and my wife would...No, the boys are gone to school, and my wife wouldn't look at it. It was just something I'd know was there. Though, to prove my own point, after reading it it didn't bother me in the slightest. Shelved now. Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-84244411602746044082018-09-10T15:46:09.186-05:002018-09-10T15:46:09.186-05:00Very uncomfortable subject, I understand your init...Very uncomfortable subject, I understand your initial reluctance, but was it about your family seeing it or were you somewhat disinclined to take it all in yourself? Seeing the Civil War and first World War photos of facial deformities was unsettling to me, enough that a sampling sufficed and I wouldn't seek the volumes of these pictures. I've had a partial experience in this area, two facial surgeries to remove malignant melanomas. They remove large pieces of flesh, wide margins included to be sure of complete excision, but postpone closing the wound until the lab confirms success. My first experience was shocking. Told to remove the bandage and clean the wound several days after surgery I was surprised at the size of the crater in my cheek. Three cotton pieces like those your dentist wedges between your cheek and gums, filled a cavity the size of three stacked Kennedy half dollar coins. Seven years later another procedure took a bigger chunk, and more, as the pathologists recommended a second bite this time. While family and friends reacted to the gnarly stitched wounds, they never saw the gaping evidence of what had been taken. I have no problem with the scars, but the sight of the large holes was the unsettling thing. I documented the stitches and recovery of my second round, but couldn't bring myself to photograph the raw state while awaiting the stitches. I can only imagine the unfortunate war vets and Katie's experience, but I do know she will never be troubled by the scars from her transplant surgery. Thanks to the doctors who do this work and all the caregivers who endure the uncomfortable aspects of illness and injury treatment. they are heroes. JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08613528527379198505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-14121224074827108682018-09-10T11:56:40.613-05:002018-09-10T11:56:40.613-05:00Well, that part wasn't actually IN the story. ...Well, that part wasn't actually IN the story. It was what I brought to the table. Otherwise, I'm just a conduit. Neil Steinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-30887062053925911942018-09-10T09:21:32.316-05:002018-09-10T09:21:32.316-05:00Thanks, Neil, for drawing attention to this story....Thanks, Neil, for drawing attention to this story. I read it in National Geographic about a week ago (By the way, a subscription works out to about a dollar a copy). I got a little bogged down in the details and missed the point that getting used to unusual, even deformed faces is the first step to accepting the "monstrosities" as normal, fully functioning people just like ourselves.<br /><br />john<br />tatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.com