Lost and Found

By Ellenor Shepherd

Andre Washington, the top male opera singer in the world, is walking home from a performance when he hears a child’s screams emerging from a brownstone consumed by flames. Hesitating only briefly, he runs into the burning building and rescues eleven-year-old Elizabeth. Unfortunately, in the process of saving a young life, Andre is badly burned.

Eight weeks later, Andre slowly emerges from a medically-induced coma, unaware that Elizabeth has been searching for him. While recovering and fighting for his life, Andre remains in hiding from both his former existence as a singer and from those who are lauding him a hero. As the years pass, Andre undergoes surgeries that eventually repair his face. His doctor tells him of a radical new surgery called facial transplantation. Through courage, determination, and support from others, Andre begins to build a new life and career with a different name and face. But when a figure from his past reemerges, everything changes for Andre once again as he receives a beautiful, unexpected gift with the power to transform his future.

Lost and Found is a tale of love, loss, and an unsung hero as he attempts to find a new path after a devastating fire robs him of everything he has ever known.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973662938

Ellenor Shepherd

Ellenor Shepherd is a native of North Carolina and the author of two children’s books as well as the non-fiction books Holding God’s Hand; Teaching Children to Pray and Grow Your Own Penicillin; Words Prescribed for a Healthy and Happy Spirit. At eighty-three, she wrote her first novel, The Secret Shack. Now age eighty-seven, Ellenor lives in Greensboro where she serves as a church chaplain and enjoys competitive ballroom dancing.

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Copyright © 2019 Ellenor Shepherd.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6294-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6295-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6293-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019907157

WestBow Press rev. date: 7/1/2019

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 Andre

Chapter 2 Elizabeth

Chapter 3 Dr. Martin

Chapter 4 The Reveal

Chapter 5 The Next Year

Chapter 6 The Early Years

Chapter 7 Andre and Alexandria

Chapter 8 Andre

Chapter 9 Andre and Harris

Chapter 10 Andre and Wash

Chapter 11 Elizabeth

Chapter 12 Dr. Martin

Chapter 13 Andre

Chapter 14 Prelude

Chapter 15 The Team

Chapter 16 The Surgery

Chapter 17 After Surgery

Chapter 18 Garrett

Chapter 19 Wash

Chapter 20 Brave Sir and Wash

Chapter 21 Andre

Chapter 22 Victor

Chapter 23 Victor and Dr. Robinson

Chapter 24 Alexandria

Chapter 25 Isabella

Chapter 26 Andre and Mary

Chapter 27 Andre and Alex

Chapter 28 Andre

Chapter 29 Stanford Lowell

Chapter 30 Dr. Wells and Mary

Chapter 31 Mary

Chapter 32 Alexandria

Chapter 33 Stanford

Chapter 34 Stanford and Poochie

Chapter 35 Anita

Chapter 36 Dr. Wells

Chapter 37 Hope

Chapter 38 Mary

Chapter 39 Stanford

Chapter 40 Dr. Wells and Mary

Chapter 41 Andre and Mary

Chapter 42 Alex

Chapter 43 Andre and Alexandria

Chapter 44 Andre and Isabella

Chapter 45 The Airport

Epilogue

Author’s Note

Questions for Discussion

Resources

When Ellenor Shepherd puts words on a page, she does it with a true sincerity of meaning that gives readers a feeling of being there with her. She has a deft touch on just how to lay out in human terms the valued goodness of her subjects.

Ned Cline, journalist and biographer

Also by Ellenor Shepherd

Children’s Books

The Littlest Knitter

The Littlest Tea Party

Nonfiction

Holding God’s Hand: Teaching Children to Pray

Grow Your Own Penicillin:

Words Prescribed for a Healthy and Happy Spirit

Fiction

The Secret Shack

To my family,

who never fails to encourage me in whatever I attempt.

PREFACE

While writing Lost and Found, I became more and more immersed in the emotional and mental anguish the protagonist was experiencing, almost as if I knew him personally. One day, a radio program I had heard several months earlier flashed across the airwaves, reminding me of my fascination with its content. I was truly amazed to learn that a complete face had actually been removed from one human and reattached to another person.

Following is the true story of Patrick Hardison, who was the recipient of the most extensive facial surgery ever known, called facial transplantation. It was performed in August 2015 by Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriques at NYU’s Langone Medical Center. Over one hundred doctors, nurses, technicians, and medical staff participated in the procedure. In 2001, Patrick Hardison thought his life had ended, at least a life of a normal-looking man. As a volunteer firefighter, Patrick had re-entered a flaming mobile home when he learned that a person was still missing, only to have the roof collapse on top of him. A fellow firefighter carried him to safety, where he could remove his melting mask. Another firefighter doused him with water as he watched, horror-stricken, the flesh fall from Patrick’s face.

Patrick endured seventy-one surgeries over a twelve-year period (that’s six per year), and his face was still grotesque. People continued to stare.

In 2012, Patrick heard about Dr. Rodriques and his success with facial surgery and made an appointment to see him. Dr. Rodriques offered to rebuild his eyelids, after which he told Patrick about the radical new surgery known as facial transplantation, which carried a fifty-fifty life-death risk. Patrick decided to take the risk, although he was aware that he possibly could die. A sweet and heartfelt response ensued. His children were terribly upset and said, But Dad, we love you the way you are.

Even though Patrick loved his children dearly, he stood his ground, which meant he allowed his name to be placed on a donor list in 2012. And the wait began.

In 2015, David Rodenbaugh, a bike mechanic who was an accomplished snowboarder, surfer, and biker, was involved in a terrible accident resulting in a serious head injury. After three days, he was declared brain-dead, and Patrick Hardison was notified that a match had been found.

It took Dr. Rodriques twelve hours to delicately remove Rodenbaugh’s face and preserve nerves, muscles, carotid arteries, and interior jugular veins. A second surgical medical team was waiting in another operating room.

On August 14, 2015, after twenty-six hours in surgery, Patrick Hardison was alive and had a new face. This was declared the most extensive facial transplantation ever attempted. It began at the top of the head and extended to the collarbone in front and reached almost to the end of the hairline in the back. Also rebuilt were both of Patrick’s ears, his ear canal, chin, cheeks, nose, and skin. That was only the beginning, the beginning of long, lasting therapy; the beginning of a lifetime of medications to prevent the rejection of his new face; the beginning of watching a machine for signs of any rejection; and the beginning of many, many visits to doctors throughout the ensuing years. The most challenging beginning, however, was learning to live with the face of someone else. Several follow-up surgeries were necessary on his eyelids and lips, and to remove the feeding tube from his stomach and the breathing tube from his throat.

Details of this surgery can be found in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2015–2016.

I did not know until conducting further research that the success of this surgery depended on Patrick’s emotional makeup, his attitude, whether he could endure the tedious care the surgery required, whether his mental being could tolerate this change, and if he was able to accept himself with the face of someone else.

Ninety-three days after surgery, Patrick went shopping for clothing and … no one stared. Patrick plans to be a motivational speaker. His message is Just How There Is Hope.

As I developed my story, which is about a fictional character, I knew that this had to be a story in which hope was present. I felt that the protagonist could be led to that realization without compromising the drama of the journey.

You can lose an object.

You can lose perspective.

You can lose a loved one.

You can lose yourself.

If and when the loss is found,

is it ever the same?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A heartfelt thanks to my eldest son, Dr. Clif Flynn, for editing my book and gently suggesting that I might wish to consider a change here and there, which was always an improvement.

CHAPTER 1

ANDRE

Andre Washington woke up. It was dark. He couldn’t see, yet his eyes were wide open. What was wrong? Was he blind? The eerie sound of a machine beeping nearby was irritating, but it lasted only a few seconds before he was battered with pain so intense that all he wanted was to die. He was sure something had exploded inside his head, and when he tried to escape this torturous burning, the pain reached a height unequal to any hurt he had ever experienced. It sent him spiraling back into the darkness.

Awakened again by the unbearable pain, he heard a door open and the sound of footsteps coming closer to him. Who was there? Was he in danger? But when he heard a woman’s voice say, Sir, I am your nurse today, and I am going to increase your morphine drip to help reduce the pain, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Each time Andre began coming out of the induced coma, he was awake a little longer before he was drawn, thankfully, back into the darkness where no pain existed.

Today was the first day since the accident that Andre had given thought to any future beyond this room that was sustaining him. Would his life be the same? Could he still sing? Would he be accepted with a scarred face?

He began to remember running into the flaming building to rescue the screaming child; he remembered hearing an explosion, and he remembered the doctor saying, Your face will have to be rebuilt. Slowly, bits and pieces of that fateful day were coming together.

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After a strenuous rehearsal, Andre found it relaxing before a performance to walk the six blocks to his home. He preferred the convenience of living in his beautifully restored brownstone in the city during the opera season. In between performances, he was content to spend most of his time at his magnificent country estate with only his dog and his friend and butler, Harris.

While walking home, he was aware suddenly of three fire trucks with their loud sirens, trying to maneuver the busy city streets, along with the multitude of taxis, police cars, and the normal traffic. These big red trucks were a reminder to Andre of the time when he was a small child and his own house had caught on fire. He remembered vividly how a fireman had rescued him, lifting him out of his second-floor bedroom window and carrying him down the ladder. After that episode, even though he was young, he decided to always do his best to help someone in trouble.

After walking five blocks, Andre rounded the corner and was shocked to discover the first brownstone at the beginning of the block had flames shooting through the roof. The firemen had just arrived and were uncoiling their hoses from the trucks when Andre heard a child’s screams coming from inside the house. Hesitating only briefly, he darted through the side door of the home, following the direction of the child’s voice, when he heard a small explosion. By the time he reached the terrified little girl, who was about eleven years old, she was sitting on her bed, in a completely frozen state. Andre picked her up gently and grabbed a pillowcase to slide over her head, assuring her that everything was okay. He spotted a T-shirt lying on the bed and quickly tied it around his nose and mouth, hoping to gain a few seconds while he tried to find his way through the smoke to exit the burning building.

He heard the cracking of an overhead timber and strained to move forward, fearing their bodies would be crushed beneath it.

The heat grew more intense. Flames were shooting up around them as he struggled to protect this terrified little girl. When he’d entered the building, he’d made a right turn into her bedroom, but now he discovered that the hall was blocked by a wall of fire. His lungs felt as if they were being torched. Andre was determined not to let this child perish in such a horrific way. All of a sudden, he thought he heard a voice yelling, Over here!

Trusting that he wasn’t hallucinating, he covered the girl as much as possible with his arms and his body and, as a last attempt, plunged through the fire separating them from the fireman. Again and much closer, he heard a voice yell, Over here! Hand me the child!

Struggling to breathe, he managed to reach the front door and almost threw the child to a waiting fireman, just seconds before he was caught in the aftermath of a second small explosion. His lifeless body was carried a safe distance from the inferno by two firemen, who watched in horror as a medic removed the burned T-shirt while the flesh fell from the man’s face. He was placed on a gurney and lifted into the waiting ambulance, with orders to transport at top speed to St. Joseph’s Burn Center.

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After eight weeks, Andre was being brought slowly out of the drug-induced coma. He heard someone walking quietly in his room and was relieved when a woman’s voice, though different from the first one, finally spoke. Andre pictured this nurse as a gray-haired, motherly type as she explained to him that he had been in an induced sleep to spare him the intense pain that his body was experiencing. But now, she said, we need to get you active again so you can regain your strength. I won’t minimize the challenge you will be facing, but I promise I will be here to help you.

Although Andre became agitated when she added that the burns