Poland's First Face Transplant Patient Can See, Eat, Taste and Speak Again (Video)

Poland's first face transplant recipient was discharged from the hospital Tuesday, just about two months since the grueling incident that cost him his nose, upper jaw, and cheeks.

The 33-year-old man was in an accident at the brick factory he worked at on April 23 near the southwestern city of Wroclaw while cleaning a packing machine that tore off most of his face.

Following the incident, he received immediate and extensive treatment at a nearby hospital in Wroclaw that saved both his life and eyesite. However, according to the Associated Press, doctors failed to reattach his face and a large area was left open where his brain was exposed.

The doctors had to work quickly in order to save his life, making the decision to perform a face transplant.

According to John Hopkin's Medicine, face transplant surgery can typically range in length from 12 to 36 hours, depending on how much of the face can be restored and how much trauma has been endured. Patients spend time in a surgical intensive care unit for at least one week folowing treatment and are then moved out of the SICU to a transplant unit that is specifically designed to care for each patient and their recovery. More transplant patients should also expect to be in the hospital anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks, according to the medical organization.

Yet, there are also an extensive list of requirements, including the following: You must be 18 to 60 years of age; have facial trauma or disfigurement; no history of HIV or hapatitis C; able to take immunosuppresive drugs; no history of cancer for at least five years and willingness to forgo pregnancy for up to one year.

As the doctors at the hospital were versed in the rare procedure, they decided to use the donor of a 34-year-old man who was a good match for the injured individual.

Following a 27-hour operation led by Dr. Adam Maciejewski, the man, who is referred to as Grzegorz, can now see, eat, taste and speak on his own and is beginning to regain facial mobility and will continue to do so with intensive exercise.

The Washington Post notes that he will need surgery on his right eyelid as it is currently motionless.

Want to see what the surgical process was like? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.