The Man Who Lost His Face

THE MAN WHO LOST HIS FACE

MorningStar Entertainment has produced several documentaries featuring the ground-breaking work of Dr. McKay McKinnon, a Chicago-based plastic and reconstructive surgeon. In particular, Dr. McKinnon has helped saved the lives of patients with extraordinarily large tumors that other medical experts believe are too big to be removed. Our documentaries on his work have led to patients from around the world to seek him out after being unable to find a surgeon willing to help them.

All of these documentaries were produced with the desire to let people with seemingly hopeless medical problems see that their condition was not a death sentence.

THE MAN WHO LOST HIS FACE tells the story of Jose Mestre, a 53-year-old man thought to have the world’s largest facial tumor. As a boy, Jose’s growing tumor was ignored as doctors attempted to control his epileptic seizures. As the tumor began to take over his face, his mother, a devout Seventh Day Adventist, would not allow an operation that involved blood transfusions. By the time of his mother’s death, Jose’s tumor had grown to 12 pounds, blinding him in one eye, and blocking his ability to speak, eat and even breathe. With his sister’s encouragement, Jose sought out doctors in Europe, but many believed surgery could cause Jose to bleed to death.

Two years ago, a British tourist visiting Portugal saw Jose on the street, and was understandably shocked by his appearance. Having seen one of our previous documentaries, this Good Samaritan used the internet to connect Dr. McKinnon with Jose’s family. When Dr. McKinnon contacted us, we reached out to Jose’s family - and with the help of the Portuguese government, Dr. McKinnon and St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago, we were able to get Jose the medical help he needed.