This is Donnie Fritts, a loving husband and father of 3 kids. This handsome man never thought his life would turn around until one day in 2003 when his doctors told him he had ameloblastic carcinoma, a rare malignant tumor that begins in the bones of the jaw. And his choice of survival would have to risk losing his nose, mouth and cheek.
Married with a wonderful wife [Sharon] in 2000, she encouraged him to have a visit to the dentist because of his persistent toothache. He was then referred to a doctor who said he has sinusitis and gave him antibiotics to take.
Things got worse when his teeth grew looser every single day. Then, in 2003, his nose turned red and oozed puss and blood.
Sharon shares Donnie’s ordeal, remembering a day when he put his finger inside his nose and felt a huge lump of flesh coming out which landed on the sink.
She admitted that the smell was terrible. Seeing her husband in such agony, they decided to visit a specialist to know what’s happening to Donnie.
After a biopsy, the result was out to shake their family’s world. The doctors would have to remove his face to fight the the rare but aggressive cancer.
Afraid of losing his life and his family, he decided to undergo the operation even if it means giving him only 2% chances of survival.
In an interview, Donnie recalls,
I was only 49 but I would never properly kiss my wife again. I’d never chew another meal, may not be able to talk, sing, work or even see. I wasn’t sure if life after surgery would even be worth living. I thought about just letting the cancer kill me.
photo from mirror.co.ukphoto from mirror.co.uk
The 12-hour operation was a success. However, it left a huge hole in Donnie’ face that made him look like a monster. He was afraid to go outside the house for fear of being called a freak. His children would look at him in terror then would run to their mother. He says, it’s like a very bad dream ‘except you don’t wake up from it.’
After 6 years of being a loner and undergoing 35 surgeries to stabilize his face, Sharon decided to seek the advice of Dr Robert Barron, who specialised in making prosthetic disguises for CIA agents.
Donnie was given titanium implants, an upper lip and a new set of teeth with the help of plastic surgeon Dr Craig DuFresne and oral surgeon Dr David Ross.
He was happy. At last he was able to go outside once again. But this did not last.
Days after, he found himself in the hospital bed again after his skin rejected the metal implants. He spent almost 2 weeks in the ICU because the infection was now close to his brain. This frightening condition also left him with a larger hole in the face.
Today, after 4 long years, he’s just undergone a major reconstructive prosthetic treatment, giving him back his upper lip and palette, nose, and teeth. And he is excited to try his new prosthetic that will allow him to eat with his teeth. He also says,
I have been looking forward to taking my wife out to dinner. So now we both put our faces on for the first time in a long time and go out on a date.
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