If you were scrolling through TikTok or Instagram lately, you might have paused on a guy with a face that looks like a miracle of modern engineering and a girlfriend who looks like she belongs on a magazine cover. That’s Joe DiMeo. Honestly, if you don’t know his story, it’s one of those "truth is stranger than fiction" situations that actually makes you feel good about the world for a second.
Back in July 2018, Joe was just a 20-year-old kid from New Jersey working the night shift as a product tester. He was driving home, exhausted, when he fell asleep at the wheel. His Dodge Challenger hit a curb, flipped, and exploded. By the time a passerby—who, in a wild twist of fate, was actually Ted Wizard Mills from the R&B group Blue Magic—pulled him out, Joe DiMeo had third-degree burns over 80% of his body.
He spent months in a medically induced coma. When he woke up, he didn't have eyelids. He didn't have ears. He didn't have his fingertips. Basically, his life as he knew it was over. But instead of fading away, he became the center of a medical breakthrough that sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie.
What Really Happened to Joe DiMeo at NYU Langone?
Most people think a face transplant is like Face/Off, but the reality is way more intense. In August 2020, after years of searching for a donor, Joe underwent a 23-hour surgery led by Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez at NYU Langone Health. This wasn’t just a face transplant; it was the world’s first successful face and double hand transplant.
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Think about that for a second.
A team of over 140 medical professionals had to stitch together nerves, blood vessels, and 21 different tendons with sutures thinner than a human hair. They had to align the bones. They had to give him a new forehead, nose, lips, and ears. The donor was a 47-year-old man from Delaware who had passed away from a stroke. Because Joe had received so many blood transfusions early on, his immune system was hyper-sensitized. He only had a 6% chance of finding a match.
He beat those odds.
Recovery wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Imagine having to relearn how to blink or how to use a fork with hands that aren't technically yours. Joe had to do 5 hours of rehab every single day. He used to say he felt like a "20-year-old baby" because he had to learn the most basic motor skills from scratch. But the dude is resilient. By 2021, he was already lifting weights and playing pool.
The Love Story Everyone Is Talking About
This is where the story gets even more "internet-famous." About eight months after his surgery, a nurse from California named Jessica Koby saw Joe’s story online. She was moved by his positivity and—no joke—his confidence. She reached out on Instagram, they started talking about their dogs (they both have Boston Terriers), and she eventually moved across the country to be with him in New Jersey.
People on the internet can be pretty mean. Jessica has faced a lot of "gold digger" accusations or people claiming she’s just doing it for clout. But if you watch them together, it's pretty clear it's the real deal. She’s a nurse; she knows the medical reality of what Joe deals with every day.
In September 2024, Joe proposed to Jessica at Peter Luger's Steak House (a classic Jersey/NY move). Then, on December 5, 2024, they officially tied the knot in Hawaii. They chose a sunset ceremony specifically because Joe’s new skin is sensitive to the sun.
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Where is Joe DiMeo in 2026?
So, where is he today? Honestly, he’s busier than most people with "normal" faces. Joe has turned his survival into a brand. He started a clothing line called 80 Percent Gone, which is a nod to the percentage of his body that was burned. He’s also working on a book and maintains a huge presence on social media where he answers questions about his transplant with a bluntness that’s kind of refreshing.
He still has to take immunosuppressant drugs every single day to make sure his body doesn't reject the transplants. That's a lifelong commitment. He also has to stay active to keep the functionality in his hands. But if you see him today, he’s driving, he’s traveling, and he’s living a life that basically shouldn't have been possible twenty years ago.
Joe’s journey proves that the "impossible" is usually just a matter of time and the right team. He isn't just a medical patient anymore; he’s a husband and an entrepreneur who refuses to be defined by a single bad night on the road.
Key Insights for Resilience and Health
- Don't ignore fatigue: Joe's accident was caused by falling asleep at the wheel after a night shift. Drowsy driving is as dangerous as drunk driving.
- Medical advocacy matters: Joe and his family sought out the best in the world (Dr. Rodriguez) rather than settling for standard reconstructive care.
- Mental health is the backbone of recovery: Joe’s "roll with the punches" attitude is what many of his doctors cite as the reason he survived the grueling rehab process.
- Organ donation saves lives: Joe is the living embodiment of why the donor registry is so vital. One person's tragedy gave Joe a face, hands, and a future.
If you're inspired by Joe's story, the most practical thing you can do is check your own organ donor status or support organizations like myFace, which helped Joe with housing and support during his long stay in New York.