When Valery learned about his tragic medical condition, he knew life would never be the same. Then he heard about one doctor’s idea to switch his head with a better body, and he was intrigued by the procedure. Read on to learn about what would become the world’s first head transplant…
Debilitating Disease
Valery was born with a terrible illness known as Werdnig-Hoffmann disease. The disease would destroy his brain and spinal cord’s muscles and nerves, eventually leaving him in a wheelchair for life. It was time to take action…
Dr. Sergio Canavero
Valery heard about a doctor, Dr. Sergio Canavero, who had a revolutionary idea. He wanted to put a man’s head on another man’s body. Valery felt he had no other choice, and signed onto the project…
Cost of Living
The procedure would end up being about $100 million to perform the surgery, not to mention the emotional and physical toll it could take on Valery. The donor body would be a healthy though brain dead patient. As long as the build matched Valery, the project was a go…
Time Well Spent
Dr. Canavero wanted to sever the spinal cords off of both bodies using a diamond blade. Then the brain of Valery would be frozen to reach a state of hypothermia. The surgery would take 36 hours, but the results who change a life…
Risk It All
Though Valery trusted Dr. Canavero fully, did the doctor trust himself? It was hard to say. No one knew if the procedure would work, or even if it did, what would happen to Valery’s mind…
Insane In the Membrane
The new wiring of the brain to the body and the different chemicals could have dramatic effects on Valery’s psyche. In fact, his mind could go completely off the rails. The level of insanity he’d experience might be one never seen before…
Sound Familiar?
The entire process was likened to the novel Frankenstein, but despite the terrible ending of the story, the procedure was unpopular in the medical community. He had tried it successfully on an animal, but the real thing was a different beast…
Disliked and Disapproved
The response to the procedure has been less than ideal. “I would not allow anyone to do it to me,” said the president of the American Association for Neurological Surgeons, Dr. Hunt Batjer, “There are a lot of things worse than death.” He was right…
Canavero’s Confidence
According to Dr. Canavero, every great transplant came with some backlash. “The first heart transplant, hand transplant, facial transplant: all were met with serious reservations,” he said. Speaking of reservations, Valery was getting nervous…
Til Death Do We Part
While learning about the surgery and meeting with Dr. Canavero, Valery met someone. Computer expert Anastasia Panfilova fell in love with the patient. They married and had a son, and this put a problem in the planned procedure…
Why Risk It?
With all this new happiness, a new wife, and a new son, Valery decided that the risk no longer seemed worth the reward. He didn’t like to leave them for any amount of time, and the surgery would take him away for a while…
Safe For Now
His condition, for the time being, seemed fine. He knew the surgery could change his life, but his life was already changed with his wife, kid and thriving career. It was time to reconsider…
Next in Line
Dr. Canavero wasn’t dismayed by this dropout. He reportedly had many other possible volunteers who were eager to give the surgery a try. But who would step up?
Trial and Success
In order to prepare, Dr. Canavero attempted the surgery on a corpse. It worked. Specialists wondered if the doctor has the empathy to care about his patients in the pursuit of a successful transplant…
A No Go
Valery decided that the pros of his new life outweighed the cons of the procedure. He backed out, citing major life changes as the reason. Dr. Canavero understood…
Other Surgeries
While Dr. Canavero was hurt, he knew there would be other chances. After all, he wasn’t the only person to consider an insane surgery before. There were many others before him…
Changing Eye Color
One company proposed and created eye implants. They created a fake iris that was made of silicone and could be placed on the eye. BrightOcular gave users the ability to change eye color instantly…
Creating a Beard
In 1996, a different company found a way for people without beard-growing abilities to grow one using other body hair. The follicles are collected from other areas and placed on the face, just like another procedure…
Lashing Out
In another procedure that’s become rather mainstream, eyelash transplants have become the norm. Follicles can be placed on the lash line so that the patient can have longer, fuller lashes. It gets even weirder…
Changing Your Fate
There are even methods one can take to change their fate in the palm of their hand. That’s right, people alter their hand lines to change their palm readings. Whatever works, right?
Oh Nose!
Some people go under the knife for a new nose, sure, but have you ever seen one like this? In ‘prelamination’, facial features can be constructed using several layers of tissue. This is especially helpful for burn victims…
Gaga for Gaga
Some people love Lady Gaga’s smash hit ‘Poker Face’ and have requested a surgery that will give them just that– a face with no emotion. Perfect for poker, bad for everything else…
Uncut Cuts
Pet owners might have a little remorse about neutering their pets, but don’t worry! There exists a procedure that will replace your pet’s testicles with fake ones. Just the half a million others who have done the same for their furry friends…
“Elfing”
The “elfing” procedure, also known as the Spock surgery, creates a pointed tip at the tips of a patient’s ears. It involves a little slicing, and the end effect is every Star Trek fan’s dream…
Splitting Tongues
Some people want to cut their tongue in half in a process known as ‘tongue bifurcation’. This way people can look more like snakes. Crazy!
Double Vision
For people in Taiwan and South Korea, this is one of the most common surgeries. Monolid people go under the knife to get double eyelids so they can have a crease over their eye. This is mostly due to the popularity of the Western-style in these cultures…
Raise Your Voice
For some, talking elicits a weak and wavering voice. Don’t worry though, by cutting open the vocal chords and putting some special implants and injections in the neck. The voice, from there, is lifted!
Dimple Dips
Dimples are an adorable, natural facial dip for some, but not everyone is so lucky. If you want a dimple dip of your own, just get a suture inserted in your cheek. Look at that smile!
Bellyaching
Born with an outie? Have no fear, there’s a surgery for that too! Get an “umbilicoplasty” (the technical term) and transform your naval to a more traditional appearance…
Have You Heard This?
If you don’t have ears, listen up. Doctors can create an ear using a patient’s ribs. Then, the ribs are morphed into an ear mold, covered in the skin from another area, and put on the side of one’s head…