Update: Mitch looks amazing. If you ask me, that's one lucky face to be on such a great guy.

Over the summer I was fortunate enough to meet Speedway resident Mitch Hunter while on assignment for The Indianapolis Star. In 2001, Hunter was riding in a car with two friends when the driver crashed into a utility pole. Hunter was disfigured when he was shocked by 10,000 volts of electricity after helping the woman riding passenger in the vehicle. These images are from August when Hunter was just a candidate for a rare face transplant surgery. He has now been told by doctors at a the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston that he has been chosen for the transplant. He will be the third American to undergo the surgery.


In this Aug. 10, 2010 photo, Mitch Hunter shows off his 4-month-old son, Clayton, at his home in Speedway, Ind. In 2001, Hunter was in a car accident and endured 10,000 volts of electricity from an electrical line that fell on top of the vehicle. Today, the Speedway resident is a potential candidate for a face transplant. (AP Photo/The Indianapolis Star, Jennifer Cecil)




The transplant will be extremely risky for Hunter. Since the accident, he's had over 50 surgeries to graft skin onto his face and body. If his body rejects the skin, he will have to start all over.
Mitch has an amazing attitude and is a perfect candidate for the surgery. I feel blessed to have met him and his family. If you want to help Mitch on his journey, contact him through his Facebook page. Also, check out these other links to see how far his story has reached across America.

MSNBC
Washington Examiner
Connecticut Post
The Louisville Courier-Journal