Extraordinary face transplant Rebuilds Woman After Donor’s Assisted Dying Decision
WORLD NEWS – SPAIN: A devastating bacterial infection that followed a simple insect bite robbed Karm of the ability to speak, eat, and see normally, destroying large portions of her central facial tissues and altering her life. For years she lived with the functional and emotional consequences of that loss, until an unusual chain of decisions and a massive surgical effort converged to offer a chance at reconstruction through transplantation.
In Barcelona, a woman who elected assisted dying chose to donate her facial tissues. Surgical and ethics teams coordinated the donor’s care and the delicate procurement of composite tissue for a transplant aimed at reconstructing the central part of Karm’s face. Nearly 100 specialists — including reconstructive surgeons, psychiatrists, immunologists, and support staff — assembled at a hospital in the city for one of the most complex operations of its kind. The composite tissue transplantation required painstaking planning, hours in the operating room, and real-time collaboration across multiple disciplines.
The operation carried high scientific and human stakes. Teams worked through lengthy procedures to attach skin, muscle, and other facial structures, and to begin the long process of restoring function and appearance while managing immune risks. The donor passed away following her decision, and her gift became the foundation of an extraordinary medical achievement. For Karm, the procedure marks the start of a new chapter: she now faces a recovery trajectory in which, for the first time in years, she can look into a mirror without fear and begin rehabilitation to regain speech, eating, and visual function.
This case highlights both the technical advances in composite tissue transplantation and the ethical, logistical complexity when end-of-life choices intersect with organ and tissue donation.
Video originally published on 2026-02-03 08:59:04
