New Jersey Man Who Survived Fiery Crash and Underwent Historic Face and Hand Transplant Shares Inspiring Journey

Joe DiMeo before and after his face transplant

Joe DiMeo, a 26-year-old New Jersey native, is sharing his extraordinary story of survival and transformation following a 2018 car crash that left 80% of his body severely burned. At just 18 years old, DiMeo fell asleep at the wheel after a night shift, crashing his Dodge Challenger and waking up months later in a hospital burn unit.

His road to recovery began with a three-month coma and intensive burn treatment, including painful procedures he describes as “dreaming about pain.” “When they take you into the tank room — where they wash you off, take off all the bandages — that’s not fun. You can feel the pain,” DiMeo recalled.

While unconscious, he remembers a vivid experience he likens to an afterlife. “I was walking my dog, who passed away in 2012. I thought, ‘This is it — the afterlife — just me and my dog walking down an endless hill,’” he shared.

After time in a rehab facility, DiMeo returned to his parents' home but longed for independence. “I felt like a 20-year-old baby again,” he said. “My mom did my laundry, cooked, cleaned... I just laid on the couch with my dog. That just wasn’t for me.”

In 2019, DiMeo met Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez at NYU Langone Health, who identified him as a candidate for a groundbreaking face and double hand transplant — an incredibly rare and risky procedure. Previous attempts at such transplants had failed. “The first patient died on the table, the second's hands failed. But you can die in any surgery — that didn’t bother me at all,” DiMeo explained.

In August 2020, a team of over 140 medical professionals successfully performed the 23-hour operation, using organs from a 47-year-old donor. DiMeo became the world’s first recipient of a successful face and double hand transplant.

Jessica and Joe DiMeo

“It’s not a perfect surgery,” DiMeo admitted. “But then I realized, let me be real about it.”

Shortly after his surgery, DiMeo met his future wife, Jessica, a nursing student who first learned about him through a documentary shown in one of her classes. “I remember thinking, ‘Dang, that sucks. He was a handsome guy,’” she recalled. Their connection began with an Instagram message in 2021 and blossomed into a relationship that led them to elope in Hawaii in December 2024.

The couple now live together in New Jersey and have shared their life on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, reaching millions. Despite facing judgment from strangers, DiMeo maintains an incredibly positive perspective.

“It sucks I got into the accident. I lost 80 percent of my skin, and I have someone else’s face and hands on me,” he said. “But I also found my life partner. If I hadn’t had the accident, I’d probably still be a cocky 26-year-old. I’d prefer not to be burned, but I like my life now — just because I have Jessica around.”