At 22, Joe DiMeo is rediscovering a range of sensations on his hands and face, from warmth to coolness, and from wetness to the touch of another person.
DiMeo is still getting used to his hands and face. He has had them for less than six months, the product of breakthrough surgery after a fiery accident left stumps where his fingers used to be and his old face severely disfigured.
“You know, it’s really surprising to me when something new touches it or I touch something new and I can feel it for the first time,” he said in an interview.
As he pushes himself through hours a day of rehab, DiMeo said he is driven by the goal of moving out of his parents’ home in Clark Township, New Jersey, and even getting behind the wheel of a car again.
“Driving is the biggest goal I have so far,” he said.
It was driving that started his nightmare. Coming home from his night-shift job as a product tester on July 14, 2018, DiMeo’s car crashed, rolled over and exploded, leaving him…