At just 18 years old, Joe DiMeo's life changed forever when got a terrible car crash that left him with burns on 80% of his body. In 2020, he made history as the first person to receive a face and double hand transplant in a 23-hour surgery.

As Joe shared his recovery journey online, he found something unexpected, love. A simple Instagram message led him to Jessica, now his wife.

Joe was driving home at 7 a.m. after a long night shift at a food testing lab. He was saving money to fix up his Dodge Challenger. Sleep-deprived but eager to get home, he dozed off at the wheel. His car hit a curb, crashed, and burst into flames.

He was in a coma for three and a half months. When he woke up, he found himself in a burn unit, where he stayed for two more weeks before moving to a rehab center. Eventually, he went back to his parents' home, unable to do even the simplest tasks on his own.

"I was basically a 20-year-old baby again," Joe recalls. "My mom did everything, cooked, cleaned, and did my laundry while I just lay on the couch with my dog. That wasn't the life I wanted."

In 2019, Joe met Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez, who believed he was a good candidate for a face and double hand transplant.

It was his only chance at regaining independence. After months of tests and a delay due to COVID-19, Joe underwent the groundbreaking surgery in August 2020. Over 140 medical professionals worked for 23 hours to complete the procedure.

Jessica, a registered nurse, later revealed on TikTok that Joe had received the face and hands of a 47-year-old donor. At the time, she was working with transplant patients, but she was never Joe’s nurse.

Joe and Jessica first connected on Instagram nearly four years ago when he messaged her about her Boston Terrier. She had recently watched a documentary about his surgery and admired his strength. Their friendship quickly turned into something more.

For six months, they managed a long-distance relationship, Jessica lived in Cleveland while Joe was in New Jersey. They talked constantly, and Jessica even drove several states to visit him. Joe once surprised her by flying out to help her move on the same day he was discharged from the hospital.

Eventually, they moved in together in New Jersey. Their daily lives are like most couples, Jessica commutes to New York for her nursing shifts, and Joe, who is an excellent cook, makes dinner for them. However, some tasks take longer for him. Simple things, like chopping onions, can take an hour. But they’ve found ways to support each other.

"He picks me up from work, takes my car for repairs, and I prep vegetables in the morning so he can cook at night," Jessica says. "His daily activities might look different from most people’s, but we’re just like any other couple."

Joe still faces challenges. He can’t work on cars like he used to. His hands are too sensitive for extreme weather, and he can’t do heavy physical labor. But he has found new passions.

He is currently writing a book and runs his own clothing brand, 80 Percent Gone, inspired by his journey. Before the accident, Joe had dreamed of studying fashion at NYU but gave up due to the cost. Now, with a second chance at life, he's pursuing that dream, designing and selling clothes and accessories online.

Despite everything he has been through, one thing has never changed his confidence.

"The way he walks, the way he talks, his confidence is one of my favorite things about him," Jessica says. "And I imagine it’s always been that way."

Joe and Jessica continued building an audience online with their individual content and their love story, which has warmed the hearts of millions of viewers. Jessica says she encouraged Joe to keep posting because of his rarity and, conversely, because of all that he represents.

"There are other face transplant recipients out there, but none of them are as active as Joe. Joe's one of the younger ones, and he's one of the lucky ones that doesn't have brain damage issues either because a lot of the face transplant recipients do have some mental disability as well," "So I was like, 'You have the perfect personality, the perfect story.'"

His dream is to be a motivational speaker, so he was keen to put his experiences out there in the interest of helping others. Their inboxes are flooded with messages that reaffirm that Joe is on the right track, and though the couple can't respond to everything, their collective power inspires him to keep going.

Sometimes Jessica gets messages from parents who hope their children with disabilities will find a romantic partner one day. "There's a lot of different aspects to it: Joe motivating people to continue despite their health issues," she says. "Then on the flip side, us as a couple motivating people that might have a disability or look different that you can still find someone."

Their public presence does enough good promoting Joe's business, spreading his message, and inspiring others to make negativity slightly more bearable. Jessica is getting better at handling the haters who bring unprovoked spite to their comments sections. Even when they've pushed her to her limits, she's learned to "just block and delete" instead of fighting back.

From a tragic accident to a groundbreaking surgery, to finding love through a simple message, Joe’s journey is a testament to resilience, hope, and the power of human connection.