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Michigan man gets successful face transplant at Mayo Clinic
The team behind Derek Pfaff’s transformational surgery said the procedure took around 50 hours and was performed by at least 80 team members.
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Ten years and nearly 60 surgeries after a now-30-year-old man attempted to take his own life, he’s taking his life back… thanks to world-class healthcare providers at Rochester’s Mayo Clinic.
Derek Pfaff, a Michigan man whose face was severely damaged by a gunshot wound in 2014, recently underwent a face transplant procedure he said “transformed” his life.
“I lived for a reason. I want to help others,” Pfaff said in a statement released by Mayo Clinic. “I am so grateful to my donor, his family and my care team at Mayo Clinic for giving me this second chance.”
Before coming to Mayo, the clinic’s said Pfaff was unable to eat solid food, speak casually or even wear glasses as a result of his injuries. Now, Mayo said Pfaff will be able to do all of those things and more, including advocating for suicide prevention and awareness.
“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,” Pfaff said. “I’m also going to keep sharing my story with others to help as many people as I can.”
The team behind Pfaff’s transformational surgery said the procedure took around 50 hours and was performed by at least 80 healthcare team members, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, technicians, assistants and others.
Dr. Samir Mardini, a facial reconstructive and facial reanimation surgeon and surgical director of Mayo’s reconstructive transplant program, led the surgical team. He estimated about 85% of Pfaff’s face was reconstructed and replaced with donor tissue.
“This successful transplant would not have been possible without the donor and his family’s generous gift and the care team’s collaboration and dedication,” Mardini said, adding, “Most organ transplants are lifesaving. With facial transplantation, it’s a life-giving operation. You can live without it, but you are missing out on life.”
For more information about Pfaff’s facial reconstructive journey, the Mayo Clinic and its transplant program, visit the clinic’s website.
If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, there is help available from the following resources:
Crisis Text Line – text “MN” to 741741 (standard data and text rates apply)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, Talk to Someone Now
Throughout Minnesota call **CRISIS (**274747)
The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — Thanksgiving is a time to come together with family and celebrate.
However, the holidays can be stressful if you can’t afford it. That’s why the organization Honored 2 Help is stepping in.
The founder of Honored 2 Help, Scooter Draughn, joined KARE 11 News at Noon to talk about the upcoming Brown Bag Giveaway in Brooklyn Park. The Minnesota Wild, Jenni-O, Be The Change, Loaves and Fishes, and Sam’s Club are helping fill brown bags with food for 200 families in Brooklyn Park this holiday season.
Honored 2 Help is a faith-based nonprofit organization founded in 2021 with a mission to increase equity through community engagement.
MINNEAPOLIS — Doubles Cookies is a female-owned/Asian-owned bakery in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. It will hold a pop-up event on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Twin Cities Maker’s Market in the Lowlands neighborhood of St. Paul.
Owner and baker, Conni Redding, joined KARE 11 News at Noon to show off her cookie creations.
Police say the person who reported the alleged Nov. 7 assault has admitted it was false, adding that she will be criminally charged.
EAGAN, Minn. — After carrying out an “extensive” investigation into an alleged sexual assault in a popular park, Eagan police revealed Monday that the report was fabricated.
Eagan police spokesman Sgt. Rich Evans says the party who reported the incident at Lebanon Hills Regional Park on Nov. 7 now admits the assault never took place and that her claims were false. The woman will be criminally charged with filing a false police report, Evans says.
The reported assault set off concern in the Eagan community, especially when residents learned of a previous incident that took place on Sept. 7. Sgt. Evans says a woman was walking the trails at Lebanon Hills when a man snuck up and grabbed her. She fell, and the suspect ran away.
Police are making solid progress in that case, Evans shared, following up on tips and using cell phone data from the park that day to narrow down a list of potential suspects.
“In an effort to promote public safety, we continue to ask the public to be aware of your surroundings, watch out for each other, and report suspicious people or vehicles,” Sgt. Evans wrote in a press release sent out Tuesday. “While this case was found to be false, we are continuing to follow up on the September 7th incident.”
Eagan Police are thanking residents for increased vigilance and patience while the probe into the Nov. 7 incident played out.
