Incredible Moment A Woman Sees Her Brother's Face On Another Man's Body After Life-Saving Transplant Surgery

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2/10 Rebekah Aversano meets Richard Norris for the first time since the transplant surgery.
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3/10 Joshua Aversano was killed when hit by a van in 2012.
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4/10 Joshua Aversano's family donated his face for transplant to shooting victim Richard Norris (above).
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5/10 Richard Norris before he accidentally shot himself.
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6/10 When Richard Norris shot himself he lost his nose, lips and most movement in his mouth.
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7/10 The surgery took more than 36 hours.
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8/10 Norris has had multiple life-saving, reconstructive surgeries but none as successful as this by Dr Rodriguez and his 150-strong team.
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9/10 Richard Norris sits in the office of Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the surgical team that performed the face transplant.
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10/10 He undergoes regular checks because of the fear his body could reject the new face.
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This is the moment that a woman sees - and touches - the face of her dead brother on another person for the first time following a groundbreaking transplant.

It's a union that she finds overwhelmingly emotional.

The transplant took place thanks to the family of Joshua Aversano, 21, who was tragically killed in a car accident.

They gave doctors permission to give his face to Richard Norris, who was horribly disfigured almost 18 years ago when he accidentally blew off most of his face with a shotgun.

The incredible meeting between Rebekah Aversano, Joshua's sister, and Norris has been filmed for 60 Minutes on Nine.

It was set up partly so that he could thank the Aversano family for 'saving my life'.

Norris underwent more than 30 operations to try and correct the damage and restore his features. The long and painful process resulted in little sign of improvement, leaving him depressed and at times suicidal.

But three years ago, the tragedy in the Aversano family offered him a glimmer of hope.

Norris, 39, underwent one of the most complex and expensive face transplants in history, receiving teeth, a jaw and even a tongue from his donor.

His mother, Gwen Aversano, told Canada's CTV News network they knew it was 'the right thing to do'.

'We are just so pleased we have been able to help him, even though we had such a tragic loss, we were able to give someone else the benefit of our son.'

And the chances of finding a perfect match were very low.

Norris said he is humbled by the gift he received from her late brother after Joshua was killed, struck by a minivan while crossing the street. He speaks to the Maryland family regularly and keeps them updated on his life and health.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

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