Take Away English-First Face Transplant 首例面部移植手术

Modern science helps in new ways

Can you imagine being savagely attacked by a dog? What if the attack was so severe that your nose, lips and chin were completely destroyed? How would you feel about yourself? Would you be able to look at yourself in the mirror? And how do you think other people would treat you?

Isabelle Dinoire is someone who can answer all of these questions honestly and openly.

Last November Isabelle was attacked and mauled by her own dog. The attack was so severe that her lower face was damaged, it seemed, almost beyond repair. She was rushed to hospital and became the first person ever to have a face transplant.

With such severe injuries doctors offered Isabelle little hope that they would be able to repair the damage to her face using conventional surgery.

Shortly after being admitted, she came to the attention of Dr Bernard Devauchelle who, unlike other surgeons, believed there was an alternative: "We found ourselves saying, yes, it's clear this woman needs a transplant," he said.

Two days after the operation she saw her face in the mirror for the first time. She said "I was scared to look at myself, but when I did it was already marvellous and I couldn't believe it. I thought it would be blue and swollen but it was already beautiful."

Now, less than a year after her 15 hour operation, she’s trying to rebuild her life and there is no doubt how she feels about her new face: "I have been saved. Lots of people write saying that I need to go on, that it's wonderful. It's a miracle somehow."

Although there were ethical questions raised about their decision to carry out the procedure, the doctors who operated on Isabelle are quick to defend their decision.

One of them said "Was it possible for her to live without a face? It's easy to say we shouldn't have done the operation, but her life has changed, she goes shopping, goes on holiday, she lives again."

GLOSSARY 词汇表
savagely attacked 野蛮地袭击 destroyed 被毁 treat 对待 mauled (被)伤害 conventional surgery 传统的外科疗法 blue and swollen 青肿 need to go on 继续下去 ethical questions raised 引发了伦理方面的疑问 operated on 给…做手术 to live without a face 没有面容的生活	severe 严重的 feel about yourself 自己感觉(如何) honestly and openly 诚恳地并公开地 beyond repair 无法医复 marvellous 绝妙的；了不起的 rebuild her life 重建新生 a miracle 一个奇迹 to carry out 执行 are quick to defend their decision 马上为他们的决定做辩护 It's easy to say 说起来容易