My fiancé has undergone the first face transplant, I am accused of digging for gold
Posting news of her engagement on Instagram, along with a photo of her new fiancé, smitten Jessica Perez watches as the comments pour in.
But instead of congratulating her or making enthusiastic comments about the sparkling diamond ring on her finger, 33-year-old Jessica is ridiculed for her choice of partner.
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“What’s wrong with his face?” writes one, while another jokes: “He must have had an allergic reaction.”
That’s because Jessica’s fiancée is Joe DiMeo, the man who made headlines worldwide when he underwent life-changing surgery to save his face in 2020 following a car accident two years earlier.
Since then, he has undergone no fewer than 20 reconstructive surgeries and is the first person ever to undergo a face and double hand transplant.
Since announcing their engagement earlier this month and now in the middle of planning their December wedding, the haters have turned on Joe’s bride-to-be.
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“I get a lot of hate online, right now I feel like a punching bag,” Jessica explained in an exclusive interview.
“People say I’m a gold digger, attention seeking, and call me fake.
“The disrespect is especially insane: I’m a good person and I’m doing the right thing, believe me, you want me to be on your side.”
Nurse Jessica met Joe, 26, in October 2021, eight months after his life-changing transplant.
In July 2018, Joe’s car hit a curb and caught fire while driving home from his night shift as a food tester, leaving him with burns over 80% of his body.
The car hit a curb and utility pole, overturned and caught fire. Another driver who saw the accident stopped to save DiMeo.
He then spent months in a medically induced coma and underwent twenty reconstructive surgeries and multiple skin grafts to treat his extensive third-degree burns.
He first bonded with Jessica on Instagram, after she read his story and messaged him.
Their relationship quickly blossomed as they bonded over their shared love of Boston Terriers dogs — and they now share Buster, six, and Kirkland, seven.
She says she was immediately captivated by him.
“From our first phone call, Joe was special to me,” Jessica recalls.
“We talked on the phone every day, at first it was long distance for us – with me living in Ohio and him almost 600 miles away in New Jersey.
“I fell in love with him when I hugged him for the first time.
“Joe checks all the boxes for me.”
Jessica says she quickly became aware of the cruel comments Joe received about his appearance.
“Teenagers can be rude and say ‘what’s wrong with his face?’” she says.
‘It doesn’t matter to Joe, but I wonder how people are raised so poorly.
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‘It bothers me, people have to be better than that. But I also remind myself that they are probably projecting their jealousy when they say hateful things.
“I enjoy our online supporters taking them down. But I will generally ignore the cowards who hide behind a fake profile.”
The couple announced their engagement days after the proposal with a stunning photoshoot and insist they couldn’t be happier as they start their “new chapter” together.
“After everything – from the transplant operations to the recovery – there is a sense of appreciation for the simple things,” says Joe, who lives in Jersey, US.
“Planning this wedding is like the beginning of a new chapter.
“It’s a symbol of how far we’ve come together.”
Some of the cruelest comments are just ignorant jokes, like comparing Joe to someone with a peanut allergy
Jessica Perez
The proposal was far from lavish but special and recalling the day he proposed to Jessica, Joe says:
“I asked the question before dinner.
“It was simple. We went to Peter Luger’s, a place we both love.
“It was a quiet, intimate moment surrounded by people we care about, my parents. We built such a strong bond and it was just a natural next step for us.
“I wasn’t too nervous – it felt like something we were both ready for.”
Jessica says she “wasn’t surprised” when they discussed wedding plans, but that it “didn’t make it any less special.”
She adds: “Everything fell into place.”
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Jessica says that while most of the feedback they’ve received since their engagement has been positive, the trolling hasn’t stopped.
She adds: “Unfortunately, online bullying has not completely disappeared.
“About 10% of comments are still cruel and repetitive.
‘It’s the same unoriginal insults, usually aimed at Joe’s appearance, and sometimes I get personally attacked.
“Some of the cruelest comments are just ignorant jokes, like comparing Joe to someone with a peanut allergy or bee stings, which just shows how uneducated people can be.
“We also receive a lot of unsolicited medical advice, which I find frustrating, especially since I have a medical background myself.”
Jessica says that while she usually blocks out the hate, sometimes she tries to “educate” it instead.
“As far as the hate goes, I ignore most of it. But every now and then I respond with the goal of educating the bullies,” she says.
JOE’S INCREDIBLE SURGERY
It took a team of 140 surgeons, nurses and support staff from NYU Langone Health Center in New York City to perform the surgery in August 2020 – which had only been attempted twice before.
He underwent 20 reconstructive plastic surgeries and skin grafts before spending 23 hours undergoing the groundbreaking surgery in August 2020.
His donor was a stroke victim, 48, from Delaware, who died two days earlier.
For several weeks Joe could not move at all. But slowly he managed to regain his muscle memory.
“It’s shocking when you see it’s a single dad making fun of someone with a disability, so I might respond with something like, ‘Do better for your kids.’
“Sometimes it’s grown women who attack me, and I’ll respond in kind and encourage them to do better.
“We are all one accident away from disability ourselves, and people need to remember that.”
Together we build a life based on strength and resilience
Jessica Perez
As for wedding plans, the couple has set their sights on eloping and has decided to head to Hawaii to tie the knot.
They plan an intimate day just the two of them, while the family watches from a distance.
Jessica says, “We were originally planning to go to Oahu for my birthday, but we decided, why not get married while we’re there?
“It’s just us and a livestream for our families, which makes sense because I’m from California and Joe’s from New Jersey.
“We wanted to make it easier for everyone, so it pretty much felt like the right decision.”
And Jessica says she will continue to ignore the criticism and focus on her future with Joe.
“We are excited about the future – together we are building a life based on strength and resilience.
“At the core, we just want to enjoy the moments we have together – that’s the most important thing.”
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