Ohio woman, 32, who fell for a man eight months after his face transplant says she feels ‘like a punching bag’ to online trolls and insists: ‘It was love at first sight’
Ohio woman, 32, who fell for a man eight months after his face transplant says she feels ‘like a punching bag’ to online trolls and insists: ‘It was love at first sight’
A woman who fell for her boyfriend “on the face of it” eight months after undergoing a 24-hour face transplant described how she felt “like a punching bag” to online trolls.
Jessica Perez, 32, of Ohio, met 24-year-old Joe DiMeo through social media after reading about his story — and she “fell in love with him when I hugged him for the first time.”
Mr. DiMeo, who lived in New Jersey, suffered third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body when he crashed his Dodge Challenger in July 2018.
Over the following months, he underwent 20 reconstructive plastic surgeries and skin grafts, before undergoing breakthrough transplants in August 2020 in a 24-hour surgery.
But despite her new relationship getting off to a strong start, Ms Perez said she “feels like a punching bag” because of all the online hate she’s been receiving.
Jessica Perez, 32, of Ohio, met 24-year-old Joe DiMeo through social media after reading his story — and she “fell in love with him the first time I hugged him”
The nurse said, “People say I’m a gold digger, attention seeker, and call me fake.
“The disrespect is insane, especially towards someone you want on your team. I am a good person and do the right thing, believe me, you want me on your side.
“People stare in public. Sometimes it’s funny, one time a guy gave Joe a thumbs up.
“But teens can be rude and say ‘what’s wrong with his face?’ Joe doesn’t care, but I wonder how people are brought up so badly.
“It bothers me, people have to be better than that. But I also remind myself that they’re probably projecting their jealousy when they say hateful things.”
Ms. Perez and Mr. DiMeo met eight months after the 2020 reconstructive transplant, and the nurse said her boyfriend is “still hospitalized from time to time.”
Joe DiMeo (seen before his accident), who lived in New Jersey, suffered third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body when he crashed his Dodge Challenger in July 2018
Joe underwent 20 reconstructive plastic surgeries and skin grafts before undergoing breakthrough transplants in August 2020 in a 24-hour surgery
Jessica Perez said she “feels like a punching bag” because of all the online hate she receives
But despite all the challenges they face, Ms. Perez said she and her boyfriend never let the negativity get to them and they both remain positive and hopeful about their future.
She said: ‘This has never been a problem for me and being a nurse I understand a lot about his care.
“Because Joe has a complicated transplant, we have to be prepared for hospitalizations.
“We had to cancel trips and plans. We can’t even go for a walk in the summer heat because Joe could be rejected by the sun.’
But despite all the challenges they face, Ms. Perez said she and her boyfriend never let the negativity get to them and they both remain positive and hopeful about their future.
She said, “I talk to Joe about the hate, he helps me navigate my feelings.
‘He makes me feel better. Sometimes I react when someone goes public about their life.’