The Man Who Gave Up His Face: To Save His Life

Donnie Fritts had to make a terrible choice: his face or his life.

That's what doctors told him after he was diagnosed with an extremely rare, aggressive cancer called ameloblastic carcinoma that attacks facial tissue and bones. His only hope to survive was an extreme surgery that would remove his nose, upper lip and palate, part of his forehead and part of his brain.

"He could live without a face, or he could die with his face on," Sharon Fritts, Donnie's wife, told TODAY's Ann Curry Thursday.

Donnie chose life, but survival came with a heavy price. The 12-hour surgery at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta successfully removed his tumors — and left him with a gaping hole in the middle of his face.

'I looked like a monster'
Donnie remembers the first time he saw his own reflection after the surgery; he was so startled he actually jumped back. "I looked terrible, I looked like a monster," he told TODAY. "If I scared my own self, what was I going to do to other people?"

Donnie and Sharon's world shrank. The man who could always make Sharon laugh was now afraid to leave the house. Rather than go out and be stared at, he found refuge in his woodworking shop in the basement, where he'd stay up all night, making birdhouses.

"People say be careful what you pray for," Donnie said. "I prayed for life, and I thought, if this is the best life is going to give me, I have made the wrong decision."

But Donnie had a secret weapon: Sharon, who never stopped believing that he was beautiful. They'd married only a few years before his diagnosis. Many times he told her to leave, to get on with her own life; she always stayed.

"He is so beautiful. I still see the man I saw when we walked down the aisle," Sharon told Curry. "His beauty is he's a giving person, a loving person."
Sharon said she'll always remember how they both laughed through their wedding ceremony, and the look Donnie gave her as they were standing at the altar.

"Some people don't take their vows seriously," Donnie said. "This woman did."

Out of seclusion
After six long years of living in seclusion and wearing a mask in public, Donnie connected with Robert Barron, a former disguise specialist at the CIA, who crafted a prosthetic nose for him. A team of doctors reconstructed his upper lip and palate, enabling him to chew again.
TODAY
Donnie Fritts with his family. Thanks to a reconstructed upper lip and palate, he was able to join them at Thanksgiving dinner again.

tags: MSNBC Today Show Donnie Fritts Man Who Gave Up His Face To Save His Life rare cancer missing nose lips TDanceTV2

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[scottyspitfire]

Take you Black arse back to africa & off youtube

[TDanceTV2]

@scottyspitfire would love to go since I do so much charity work for Uganda South Africa, never been but I heard it's beautiful. HERE IS A REALITY CHECK AND PROVEN FACT FOR YA REDNECK, EVERY CULTURE,HUMAN,RACE,NATIONALITY ETC ALL HAVE FAMILY FROM AFRICA SO YOU ARE AS BLACK AS ME NOW CHOKE ON THAT HICK!

[tannnerj10]

@TDanceTV2 actualy, thats just a theory you baboon, and if its true it doesnt mean were all black, it means that we all originated from the same place, studies have shown that the pigment in a 100% white persons (100 percent french, german, ect.) skin hasnt changed in over 60,000 years, so i would like to know were u get ur facts from? is it possible you pull them out of your ass? not possible, probable, so go to ur war riddled, drug run, poor ass country of uganda and let us be. Wieb Macht.

[TDanceTV2]

@tannnerj10 lmao trolls like you make me so much money so yes you may continue to make a complete ass of your worthless life son. Because we both know in person you wouldn't be so brave God bless the internet powers though fake as hell bless em. Keep in mind I allow you to comment to keep me paid... when you have bored me enough i'll block you then sweetie!

[emilyannsixx]

This is really hard to masturbate to.

[Livvy21xox]

i dont get this, who would put up shit like this? i mean i know you have 190, 723 veiws but look at the comparison between the likes and dislikes? so go and get a life you low life retard and try to make use of youself if you can because people dont want to see you shiity little videos like this?

[TheShysmith]

this is a petty cool video thankyou

[DazeStylze]

He sounds like cleveland

[xJayTheNinja]

why so many dislikes. really

[takaKizne007]

@scottyspitfire arse? u brittish? in amererica its called ASS, like ur SAS

[NMLnO]

That is actually really touching.

[TDanceTV2]

@4756134 thank you

[anderscold]

@tannnerj10 English, do you speak it?

[MPSmurf1999]

@scottyspitfire sorry but youtube isnt a english only website jackass