Extraordinary People - The Man With Someone Else's Face

Extraordinary People - The Man With Someone Else's Face
Aired: Wednesday April 22, 2009

The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition follows a leading Chinese surgeon as he performs a partial face transplant on a man mauled by a bear. Meanwhile, a burns victim hopes that the successful outcome of this case will pave the way for his own full face transplant.

In 2005, doctors in France made international headlines when they performed the first-ever face transplant. Six months later, surgeons in China surprised the world with the news that they had performed their own facial transplant. This film follows the tale of this pioneering treatment and the prospects it holds for other patients.

At the Xijing military hospital in Xian, Dr Guo Shuzhong has become accustomed to treating patients with horrific injuries. “Some patients are so badly disfigured, they don’t look like human beings anymore,” he says. News of the face transplant in France is of especial interest to Dr Guo, who wants to make his hospital, and his country, a world leader in this extreme new form of surgery.

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A candidate for the first Chinese face transplant appears in early 2006. Word reaches Dr. Guo of a tribesman in the remote Yunnan province who suffered horrific injuries after being mauled by a black bear.

After studying photos of the patient, Li Guoxing, Dr. Guo invites him to the hospital – a gruelling, four-day journey over 1,500 miles. Li does not speak Mandarin Chinese and is unused to the big city. Accompanied by his nephew, who acts as translator, he undergoes his first medical exam. Dr Guo finds that Li’s face has been utterly destroyed by the bear – his nose has gone, his cheekbone is broken and there is a gaping wound in his cheek, revealing the tissue below. “His condition is critical,” says the plastic surgeon. “It’s going to be very difficult.”

Before surgery can begin, doctors must find a donor face that matches the age and shape of Li’s own. The face is eventually provided by a road-accident victim. Now surgeons begin a mammoth 18-hour operation to remove the face and stitch it onto Li’s head. The surgery is particularly complicated because bone from the donor must be attached to recreate Li’s nose, and each blood vessel must be sown under a microscope. However, the initial results are good. “When I looked in the mirror, I was very happy. It was like a dream,” says Li.

A face transplant requires a lifetime of follow-up treatment. To stop his body rejecting the donor skin, Li must take drugs to suppress his immune system. He faces three threats in the form of infection, metabolism changes and an increased risk of cancer. But after 18 months in hospital, a homesick Li checks himself out against medical advice and returns home.

Li is now so far away from modern medical facilities that he runs the risk of complications with his surgery. Dr Guo soon learns that Li’s skin is rejecting the transplant. He travels to Yunnan to confront his patient and discovers that Li has stopped taking his drugs because he was feeling better. Despite Guo’s entreaties to move to the city full-time, where doctors can keep an eye on him, Li insists on staying in his mountainside village. The outcome of the pioneering surgery now hangs on Li’s promise to resume his medication. “I feel frustrated,” says Guo. “I spent more time looking after that patient than I did my own family.”

If Li’s transplant fails, it could have serious consequences for other patients hoping to undergo the procedure. Among them is petrochemical plant worker He, who sustained appalling burns whilst saving his colleagues from a gas leak. His act of heroism left him totally disfigured and he has been shunned by society. Surgery is his only hope of returning to a normal life. “This is my second chance at life,” he says. He has already moved closer to the hospital and is prepared to follow the doctors’ instructions. But will his dreams be realized?

NOTE:
Li died later 2008. He don't wanna live in the city (because he is not used to it).

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Extraordinary People - The Worlds Heaviest Man Gets Married

Episode 16 - Extraordinary People - The Worlds Heaviest Man Gets Married
Runtime - 45min

When he first came to the attention of the media, 43-year-old Manuel Uribe was a desperate man. Weighing over half a ton, the monumental Mexican had been confined to his bed for some years and was severely depressed. In the depths of despair, Manuel turned to a local journalist and appealed to the world for help. Floods of offers came in from surgeons and dieticians, and Manuel was soon on a strict regime of exercise and dieting. Two years later, Manuel had lost a massive 180kg. Perhaps more remarkable than his weight loss, however, is the fact that he had managed to find love.

Manuel met his fiancée, Claudia, four years ago. What is most surprising about Claudia’s decision to marry Manuel is the fact that she has been in this position before. Her first husband weighed 220kg and dropped dead just six years ago as a direct result of his bulk.

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With the media circus in regular attendance at Manuel’s house, the quiet wedding ceremony he and Claudia had planned is no longer an option. Manuel’s huge size also means that his marriage will be somewhat unconventional. Still unable to walk, Manuel will travel to the venue and exchange vows without leaving the relative comfort of his reinforced bed

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MONTERREY, Mexico--Manuel Uribe, who once weighed 1,235 punds, has lost more than 500 pounds, thanks to an international team of doctors led by Dr. Barry Sears, creator of the Zone Diet. setting a new world record for the most weight lost.

He weighed 717 pounds (324 kg) in May after losing 518 pounds (235 kg) since March 2006 on a diet of grapefruits, egg-white omelets, fish, chicken and vegetables. Uribe has also added a new goal to his weight-loss plans – he wants to be able to stand up for his wedding in the coming year.

His wish is simple – to be able to stand on his own when he marries girlfriend Claudia Solis. He said: “It frustrates me a little, because it is not easy to get out. We are in love, and this year my birthday wish is to be able to stand when we get married,”

Its been four years since the couple met four years ago and now they have been together for the last two years.

“We are a couple. We have sex, and in the eyes of God we are already married,” said Uribe. In fact, his ladylove, Solis said that life with a big man was not a cakewalk all through. “I bathe him every day, and we get along very well. At times, yes, people say things … that it’s a fake relationship, but what we have is real,” she said.

Claudia said her family initially opposed the match because Claudia's first husband, who was also obese, died of respiratory failure. "They were worried about me being involved with another fat man, because they thought another husband would die on me," she said.

Uribe spent the 1990s eating pizzas and burgers in the United States where he worked as a computer repairman. Addicted to junk food, he eventually tipped the scales at 1,235 pounds (560 kg) back in Mexico, bingeing on greasy tacos.

His bulk made him the world's heaviest man.

A former auto parts dealer who has been confined to his steel-reinforced bed for more than six years, Uribe blames his condition on too much junk food and a botched liposuction that damaged his lymph nodes and left him with 200-pound tumors on his legs.

Uribe is still unable to move his swollen legs and his dream is to walk again and visit the mountainous countryside around Monterrey.

Until then, Uribe wants to share his story with others in the hope it will serve as a warning about diet, junk food and the need for moderation in all things.

About two years ago, a team of doctors stepped in to help Manuel change his eating habits and tackle his extreme obesity. Today he says he eats small portions of food five times a day, including chicken, ham, egg-white omelettes, fruit and vegetables. While sitting in bed, he exercises his arms with pull-ups and by pedalling with his hands.

Hoping his struggle will inspire others, Manuel plans to launch the Manuel Uribe Foundation this year to educate people about nutrition and how to combat obesity.

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Extraordinary People - Freak Show Family

Extraordinary People - Freak Show Family
Aired: April 01, 2009

The Film is about a group of Indonesians whose shocking medical conditions made them the star attraction in a travelling freak show. With the show now disbanded, the performers have returned to their villages, where they face the prospect of finding work outside the circus. The programme follows British surgeon David Koppel as he visits Indonesia in a bid to help combat their diseases.

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HERE'S THE VIDEO LINK

Download, Extract with Winrar, Use the password below, Watch it with Media Player or Divx6 Player to watch avi File
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The documentary strand exploring remarkable tales of human experience continues. This edition features a group of Indonesian circus performers whose shocking medical conditions made them the star attraction in a travelling freak show. With the show now disbanded, the performers have returned to their respective villages where they face the prospect of finding work outside the circus. ‘Extraordinary People’ follows a British surgeon as he travels to Indonesia to see if he can help the people combat their conditions.

In Indonesia, a close-knit group of circus performers known as ‘the Clan’ has long been the main attraction at a travelling freak show. Esih, Sahi, Sakim and Mamat all have extreme physical conditions that have never been diagnosed, but the performers have managed to earn a living thanks to the morbid fascination of the public. However, the circus has now gone out of business and the four performers have been forced to leave life on the road and return to their villages. Sahi is trying his luck at woodcutting, but says the work irritates his skin, which is covered in bubble-like tumours. “At least I never went hungry when I was part of the freak show,” he says. Esih, meanwhile, is unable to work at all because of an enormous growth on her face. “I have no life,” she says.

Having heard news of the Clan’s plight, British craniomaxillofacial surgeon David Koppel is keen to help. So far, all he has seen of the Clan is a video of their act. “The whole thing is distasteful,” he says. “It’s exploitation of their appearance.” Mr Koppel hopes that by flying to Indonesia, he might offer the group members diagnoses, and provide them with treatment that could turn their lives around.

Before Koppel arrives in Bandung, the four performers meet at Esih’s house. It is the first time the friends have seen each other in many months, and it is an emotional reunion. In fact, the situation proves too much for Esih, so Sahi, Sakim and Mamat head to a nearby hostel for the night. The next day, Mr. Koppel is on his way to Bandung when he receives some worrying news. Esih has collapsed and must be taken to a local hospital for treatment, meaning she will not have the benefit of Mr. Koppel’s expertise this time around.

Once he has met up with the remaining three, Mr. Koppel sets about examining his patients and has soon come up with some diagnoses. Sahi and Sakim are both suffering from neurofibromatosis (Nf) – a genetic disorder that leads to the development of soft, fatty tumours on nerve tissue all over the body. Sakim’s tumours are mainly on the face, where one particularly large one has rendered his nose saggy and trunk-like. Sahi’s tumours exist all over his body. “It is not possible to remove all of these lumps,” says Mr. Koppel, “but it is possible to remove several of them.” Mamat’s dry, scaly skin condition is outside Mr. Koppel’s area of expertise, so the doctor takes his patients to Jakarta to enlist further medical help.

After meeting with dermatologists and surgeons at Jakarta’s teaching hospital, Mr Koppel gets his patients an appointment with the experts for the following day. “That’s a good result for the people involved,” he says. Delighted with the support the local doctors have offered, Mr Koppel visits the Clan members at their hotel to deliver the good news. Sakim is uncomfortable with the prospect of being examined by the doctors, but agrees to join the others. Mamat, on the other hand, wants to go immediately. “The sooner we go, the sooner we get some understanding of our conditions,” he says.

At the hospital, consultant dermatologist Eddie Carter recognises Mamat’s skin condition and is able to prescribe medication that will relieve his symptoms. After seeing the local surgeons, Sahi is booked in for a treatment to remove the worst of his tumours. In just six week’s time, Sahi will return to Jakarta to undergo an operation that could change his life. However, Sakim’s doubts get the better of him and he decides to return home to consult his family before going ahead with any treatment. “I think it’s a step in the right direction,” concludes Mr Koppel. Unfortunately, Mr. Koppel’s visit came too late to help Esih, who died of undiagnosed breast cancer in January.

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