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US face transplant man wants 'normal life'

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-24 09:29

James Maki, 59, the recipient of the second face transplant in the United States, speaks to reporters during a press conference in Boston May 21, 2009.  [Agencies]

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts man who received the United States' second face transplant is speaking out.

James Maki told The Boston Globe that he asked for a mirror four days after the operation and stared in wonder at his reflection. He told the doctor who performed the April 9 operation, Bohdan Pomahac (POE-ma-hawk), that he couldn't believe he looked so much like he used to.

Maki is still at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston recovering. A news conference is scheduled for Thursday.

Related readings:  US face transplant woman can smile again  Nation's first face transplant patient shows face  First US face transplant patient leaves hospital  U.S. team performs near-total face transplant

The 59-year-old Maki's face was disfigured in June 2005 when he fell onto the electrified third rail at a Boston subway station.

He says for years, people would recoil when they saw him.

He never wavered from the operation, even when told of the risks, because he wanted a normal life.

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