FABULOUS QUOTE
OF THE WEEK
THOSE
WHO OUTLIVE WILL, OF COURSE, FINALLY MET CREATOR THE LORD NO MATTER HOW THEIR LIVING
DESIRE OUTWEIGH TO THE DEATH. BY ZIVA
Turkey's first
ever face transplant recipient sees new face
Nineteen-year-old Uğur Acar, who received Turkey's
first ever face transplant, saw his new face for the first time on Monday. Acar,
who suffered serious burns to his face during a house fire that occurred when
he was just 40 days old, underwent a successful face transplant operation last
month at Akdeniz University Hospital. The face transplant was made possible
after the family of Ahmet Kaya, who had been declared brain dead two weeks ago,
donated all of his organs. Acar saw his new face for the first time on Monday and
had his first shave. “I thank Turkish doctors,” were among his first words
after seeing his new face in the mirror. He said he would like to visit his
mother after he is discharged from the hospital and then call on the family of
Kaya, his donor. In a written statement issued by Akdeniz University,
Dr. Ömer Özkan, a professor from the department of plastic, reconstructive and
aesthetic surgery at Akdeniz University's faculty of medicine, and Dr.
Özlenen Özkan, head of the department of plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic
surgery at the same faculty, were said to have not left Uğur Acar's side since he
arrived at the university hospital for the surgery. Dr. Özkan told the press on
Monday morning that 24 days have passed since Acar's critical operation was
successfully performed, adding that Acar's condition is better than expected.
“Uğur had his first shave. Uğur is both mentally and physically a very strong
young man. His being strong makes our job easier. We are lucky to have such a
patient. We are continuing to give him treatment to prevent tissue rejection.
After a week, we will start cutting down on his medication. He can actually
resume a normal life, but we would like to keep him here at the hospital for a
little while longer,” Dr. Özkan said.
Pop queen Whitney Houston dies on
eve of Grammys
Coroners have completed
their autopsy on the body of singer Whitney Houston and confirmed that she was
found in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room, but said the cause of
death would not be determined until more lab tests were completed. Ed Winter, assistant chief
coroner for Los Angeles County, revealed little about the autopsy at a news
conference, but said on Sunday that medical examiners found no visible signs of
trauma or foul play. He declined to comment on various media reports that
Houston, 48, had drowned in her hotel bathtub, possibly after succumbing to
drugs or alcohol. He added, “I'm not going to comment on any of the meds or
prescriptions that were obtained.” “I'd just comment that she was found in the
bathtub. ... I believe somebody removed her from the bathtub and the paramedics
did CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] on her.” He said toxicology tests,
which would take six to eight weeks to conduct, would be necessary to determine
what factor, if any, drugs or alcohol might have played in Houston's death. He
also said a “security hold” had been placed on the case, as has been done in
previous high-profile investigations, to keep further details from being
divulged. The coroner's briefing came as the Grammy Awards opened a few miles
away at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where rapper-actor LL Cool J payed
tribute to the late pop star just after the start of the star-studded music
show. “We've had a death in our family and so at least for me ... the only
thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, for our
fallen sister, Whitney Houston,” he said. His brief prayer was followed by a
clip of Houston singing her hit, “I Will Always Love You,” as the crowd
responded with a standing ovation. Houston, who enjoyed tremendous professional
success but struggled with drug abuse for years, died on Saturday afternoon in
a fourth-floor room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. She was at the hotel to attend
an annual pre-Grammy gala held that evening by her mentor, record mogul Clive
Davis. The Grammy salute on Sunday capped an emotional day for those closest to
the pop diva and those who admired her as an entertainer. From the New Jersey
church where Houston's singing career first took flight to the hotel where her
life abruptly ended, family and fans expressed their grief on Sunday with
prayer, tears and raw anguish. Houston's only child, daughter Bobbi Kristina
Brown, 18, was taken by paramedics from the hotel to nearby Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center on Sunday suffering from anxiety, Beverly Hills police and fire
officials said. A fire department spokeswoman declined to disclose any
information about the daughter's medical condition but said she was “awake and
talking” at the time she was transported. Brown, who was reported by celebrity
news website TMZ.com as being enraged at authorities for not being allowed into
the hotel room where her mother's body was found, was treated at the hospital
for stress and released, a source close to the family told Reuters. A hospital
spokeswoman declined comment. CNN reported that Houston's ex-husband, R&B
singer Bobby Brown, canceled a long-scheduled performance in Nashville,
Tennessee, with his former band, New Edition, to fly back to Los Angeles and
attend to the couple's daughter.
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