Face Transplant Recipient Speaks Out on Harrowing Ordeal

Mitchell Hunter's story is one of ultimate survival.

The 35-year-old Indianapolis man is opening up about the face transplant he had in 2011 following a devastating accident.

Hunter's car crashed into an electrical pole in North Carolina and after saving a woman's life in the accident, he would up getting buzzed by 10,000 volts over five minutes. It was so severe he lost a leg and burned his face.

Hunter underwent facial surgery, but his disfigurement was noticeable to everyone:

Imagine walking into a room and like falling, and everybody noticing. That’s how it was every time I walked in a room because of the way my face looked."

In 2011, he became one of the first people in the world to have a face transplant after someone donated his face. It would forever change him. He has a new face, with a beard, that he can feel. "Yeah, hot, cold, pain, tickle, rubbing my beard, someone kissing my face — I can feel everything," he said.

Hunter, who travels twice a year to Massachusetts to continue work on his face, says he has grown a new appreciation for the world after his experiences. "I would like to tell people just not to worry about the small things; live life,” he said. “Tell the people you love that you love them because you never know when that can be taken away."