A guy who received the first successful face and hand transplant spoke up about the traumatic vehicle accident that led to the treatment.

Joe DiMeo sustained life-changing injuries in a vehicle accident six years ago, when he fell asleep behind the wheel of his automobile while driving home after a night shift in July 2018.

During the accident, his Dodge Challenger collided with a curb, rolled over, and caught fire, injuring him before anyone could reach him and rescue him from the burning automobile.

Despite having a poor chance of survival, he survived a face and double hand transplant in New York in August 2020 after suffering severe burns across much of his body.

When I received the transplant, Joe said he was ready because he “didn’t want to live how I was living.”

Joe described the automobile accident, saying, “My car went off the side of the road, hit a curb, flipped a couple of times, and then caught fire.

“I had a mod that scratched the curb, causing a spark, and the oil pan split in the impact, resulting in a blaze.

“I was eighty percent scorched. I had to amputate my fingertips up to the second knuckle and suture my eyes due to burns. It was like seeing through a chain link fence.

He continued to explain that his recovery was extremely challenging, and for the first two weeks, he was unable to move his fingers. Instead, medical professionals had to manipulate them to help him develop muscle memory.

After the disaster, he stated he ‘lost a lot of phony friends’ but also learned who he could truly rely on, noting that ‘you understand who your actual friends are and you value them more’.

Joe is aware that his donor was a 48-year-old stroke victim who died two days before his operation, and he has had several significant life events since then.

A woman named Jessica Koby approached him on social media, and they quickly bonded over their shared love of dogs.

Things appear to be going well between the two of them, as they both recently tweeted news that they’d gotten engaged, with Joe claiming there were ‘huge things going down on December 5th’ and Koby commenting that ‘I suppose I’m the right one Joe asked, and I said yes’.

She also stated that she ‘can’t wait to be married,’ so it appears like Joe and Jessica are in for some exciting days ahead.