After a decade of hiding his disfigured face, Richard Norris -- who
received complex face transplant surgeries in Maryland in 2012 -- shows off his
new appearance on the pages of of GQ magazine.
Richard Norris In this June 25, 2013 photo, Richard Norris ties a fishing fly at his home in Hillsville, Va. The man whose face was disfigured by a gunshot spent 15 years as a recluse, but now the 38-year-old is doing things he never would have before. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
AP Photo/Chuck Burton
Richard Norris In this June 25, 2013 photo, Richard Norris looks out from the porch of his home in Hillsville, Va. The man whose face was disfigured by a gunshot spent 15 years as a recluse, but now the 38-year-old is doing things he never would have before. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
AP Photo/Chuck Burton
Richard Norris, Andrew Kahle In this June 25, 2013 photo, Richard Norris, right, shows friend Andrew Kahle how to load line into a fly fishing rod at Norris' home in Hillsville, Va. Norris, whose face was disfigured by a gunshot, spent 15 years as a recluse, but now the 38-year-old is doing things he never would have before. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
AP Photo/Chuck Burton
Face Transplant Patient In a series of four photos provided by the University of Maryland Medical Center and a June 18, 2013 Associated Press photo, face transplant recipient Richard Norris, the recipient of the most extensive face transplant performed to date, is seen in a prom photo, from left to right, a photo taken before his face transplant, a photo made six days after the transplant and a photo made 114 days after the transplant. Norris received the transplant in a 36-hour operation in March 2012. It included the replacement of both jaws, teeth, tongue, and skin and underlying nerve and muscle tissue from scalp to neck. Norris was injured in a gun accident in 1997. (AP Photo/University of Maryland Medical Center and Pat Semansky
Richard Norris In this June 18, 2013 picture, Richard Norris completes homework for an online art history college course after visiting with doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In the 15 years between a shotgun blast that ravaged the bottom half of Norris' face and the face transplant -- considered the most extensive face transplant performed to date -- that ended a hermit-like life for him, he faced cruelty from strangers, fought addiction and contemplated suicide. Now he's starting a new life with the hope that his life path will send a message of hope to people in similar situations and encourage empathy in others. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Richard Norris In this June 18, 2013 picture, Richard Norris sits in the office of Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the surgical team that performed Norris' face transplant, at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In the 15 years between a shotgun blast that ravaged the bottom half of Norris' face and the face transplant -- considered the most extensive face transplant performed to date -- that ended a hermit-like life for him, he faced cruelty from strangers, fought addiction and contemplated suicide. Now he's starting a new life with the hope that his life path will send a message of hope to people in similar situations and encourage empathy in others. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Richard Norris, Eduardo Rodriguez In this June 18, 2013 picture, Richard Norris's skin is inspected by Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the surgical team that performed Norris' face transplant, during a visit at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In the 15 years between a shotgun blast that ravaged the bottom half of Norris' face and the face transplant -- considered the most extensive face transplant performed to date -- that ended a hermit-like life for him, he faced cruelty from strangers, fought addiction and contemplated suicide. Now he's starting a new life with the hope that his life path will send a message of hope to people in similar situations and encourage empathy in others. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Richard Norris, Eduardo Rodriguez In this June 18, 2013 picture, Richard Norris, center, speaks with Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the surgical team that performed Norris' face transplant, during a visit at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In the 15 years between a shotgun blast that ravaged the bottom half of Norris' face and the face transplant -- considered the most extensive face transplant performed to date -- that ended a hermit-like life for him, he faced cruelty from strangers, fought addiction and contemplated suicide. Now he's starting a new life with the hope that his life path will send a message of hope to people in similar situations and encourage empathy in others. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Richard Norris In this June 18, 2013 picture, Richard Norris speaks with a psychiatrist during a visit to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In the 15 years between a shotgun blast that ravaged the bottom half of Norris' face and the face transplant -- considered the most extensive face transplant performed to date - that ended a hermit-like life for him, he faced cruelty from strangers, fought addiction and contemplated suicide. Now he's starting a new life with the hope that his life path will send a message of hope to people in similar situations and encourage empathy in others. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Richard Norris, Eduardo Rodriguez In this June 18, 2013 picture, Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, center, who led the surgical team that performed Richard Norris' face transplant, speaks with Norris at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In the 15 years between a shotgun blast that ravaged the bottom half of Norris' face and the face transplant -- considered the most extensive face transplant performed to date -- that ended a hermit-like life for him, he faced cruelty from strangers, fought addiction and contemplated suicide. Now he's starting a new life with the hope that his life path will send a message of hope to people in similar situations and encourage empathy in others. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
WASHINGTON — After a decade of hiding his disfigured face, Richard Norris — who received complex face transplant surgeries in Maryland in 2012 — shows off his new appearance on the pages of GQ magazine.
Norris, 39, sustained major injuries when he blew of half of his face in a shotgun accident in 1997. But in 2012, he underwent one of the most complex face transplants ever performed.
Norris showcases his new face on GQ’s latest issue.
“A drop of hope can create an entire ocean,” Norris said to GQ about the help of his doctors. “A little speck of faith can create a world. You give that speck of faith to them.”
In Norris’ surgery, he received teeth, a jaw and even a tongue from a donor. The 36-hour surgery was performed by 150 doctors and nurses at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
