MAN WHOSE FACE BECAME DISFIGURED DURING ATTEMPTED SUICIDE SHARES HIS NEW FACE WITH '20/20,' FOLLOWING LIFE-CHANGING TRANSPLANT SURGERY
Hour Includes Emotional Meeting With Donor's Mother and Recipient
'20/20' Airs on the West Coast, Friday, April 26 (10:00 - 11:00 p.m. PDT), on ABC
"20/20" features Cam Underwood's emotional meeting with Sally Fisher, the mother of his face donor.
After Cameron "Cam" Underwood tried to commit suicide at age 24 by shooting himself in the face, his life was saved by doctors; but he was left disfigured, missing teeth, a chin, cheekbones and a facial structure. In December 2017, Cam underwent a life-changing face transplant surgery that took over 25 hours to perform. More than two years after that tragic day, "20/20"co-anchor Amy Robach sat down with Cam who shared his new face with the world and opened up about his surgery and new lease on life. The hour also features Cam's emotional meeting with Sally Fisher, the mother of his face donor, Will Fisher. "20/20" airs only on the West Coast, Friday, April 26 (10:00 - 11:00 p.m. PDT), on ABC. (Rebroadcast. ABC OAD: 11/16/18)
The hour features interviews with Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who performed the face transplant surgery at NYU Langone Health; Bev Bailey Potter, Cam's mom; Randy Underwood, Cam's father; Julie Jones, Aaron and Brad Underwood, Cam's siblings; Kevin Pauls, Cam's friend; and Patrick Hardison, a Mississippi fireman who also underwent a face transplant surgery performed by Dr. Rodriguez after being severely injured in a fire.
Cam was an athletic young man who worked in his stepfather's business after high school graduation, earning enough money to buy a house by age 19. However, over a period of years during which he broke up with his longtime girlfriend, drifted from a close friend, saw his dear brothers move out of state and was dealing with stress from his work, Cam began to suffer from depression and developed a drinking problem. After his suicide attempt, Cam was rushed to University of California Davis Medical Center where he underwent multiple surgeries. But his life would never be the same and he started to wear a mask everywhere he went. After learning about the life-changing face transplant surgery that Dr. Rodriguez could perform on him, Cam waited for a perfect donor with the same skin tone, skull size, hair color, a full set of teeth and the same blood type. Cam found a match in Will who died after a long struggle with mental illness. With the blessing of Will's mother, Cam received the transplant.
"20/20" is anchored by David Muir and Amy Robach. David Sloan is senior executive producer.
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