Hardison had lived for 14 years without the ability to protect his corneas and protect his vision. The transplant has allowed him to protect his eyes and he’s expected to regain almost full speech and facial control within a year.

The stunning news has gone absolutely viral in the past few days, with NY Mag releasing an in depth story explaining how Hardison was told he only had a 50 percent chance of surviving the procedure.

The surgery took place on August 14 and lasted a fully 26 hours. While Dr. Rodriguez says that he will need further procedures, he also noted that Hardison is recovering well thus far.

The transplant reached from the top of the firefighter’s head over his skull and down to the collarbones in front, reaching far enough back that only a small amount of Hardison’s hair remains. There are no scars on the newly transferred tissue because the seam of the transplant is down the back of the skull.

Talking about how Dave Rodebaugh was selected as a donar, Helen Irving, CEO of the organ recovery organization “Live on New York” involved, said: “His mother immediately said ‘yes’. There was no hesitation in her mind – you see her son had always wanted to be a fireman.”

In doing so, Dave donated his face to a man who had lost his trying to save others in a burning building. A remarkable story indeed.

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