Jackie Hyman had been suffering from symptoms such as fatigue and blood in her sinuses for a while – symptoms due, she figured, to a respiratory infection. Then one day, her sister exclaimed that she “looked like she’d been hit by a Mack truck,” an utterance alarming enough to prompt Hyman to call a doctor. Following a biopsy, the shocking diagnosis turned out to be Wegener’s disease, an autoimmune illness that restricts blood vessels and attacks healthy tissue, often beginning in the nasal cavity. “My nose was literally retracting and disappearing into my face,” Hyman said.
The first step of her complex journey back to health would be a few years of immunotherapy, and Hyman admitted she was not a good patient. She yearned to get “the ball rolling” on reconstructing her nose and resuming life as the confident woman she’d always been. But fate had other plans.
“After I healed from the immunotherapy, my Charleston doctors performed surgeries,” she said. “They did what they could, but I was referred to a surgeon in Miami.”
The challenging project was to be helmed by one of the top reconstructive surgeons in the country – the late Dr. Anthony Wolfe. It was 2011, launching what would become an eight-year-long isolation for Hyman. While previously she’d been able to go out with her nose covered up – eliciting cheeky comments about a “nose job” or “winning a fight” – this was different; her face was a literal work in progress during that period.
“They took some skin from my arm, tried to make me a nose, but nothing worked,” Hyman shared. “It would just become infected and die. Then, during one of the surgeries toward the end, Dr. Wolfe looked at me and said, ‘It’s just not going to work.’”
Hyman knew how tough it must have been to admit that – she empathized with the doctor, pointing out he was in his 70s at the time. He passed in 2023, at age 85, after a mostly successful career.
“It was a lot of money, time and driving back and forth to Miami,” she reflects. “But I don’t regret it. I wouldn’t trade my journey.”
At first, the only silver lining seemed to be coming home – in addition to being heartbroken, Hyman and her family were exhausted from staying in hotels and even at the hospital. But when she met Dr. Betsy K. Davis with Head & Neck Specialists of Charleston, it became clear that she was in the right place, and good news was still to come.
“At that point, I was pretty defeated,” she admitted. “You could see the tears in her eyes when Dr. Davis spoke to me. . . . and her assistants as well. You could see their intentions were good – it wasn’t just to make something quickly and throw it on my face. I grew to love and trust them.”
“To me, the real hero is Jackie,” Dr. Davis remarked. “We live in a world where we’re often judged, unfortunately, by external appearance. And to have to face that as a human being is very challenging. Jackie knew she belonged at home with her family, but being able to go outside again and belong in society – that enhanced her life.”
Over the next year-and-a half, Hyman’s new nose was designed, created and painted by the careful hands of Dr. Davis, with help from her longtime assistants Robert Tumolo and Tammy Harstad. The team’s dedication reflected how much they wanted Hyman to feel good about her face – from Dr. Davis’ perspective, the success of the prosthetic is a two-way street, and the patient has to accept it. “When Jackie decided to go this route, we did our very best,” she said. “It was my privilege to help her. I speak for the team when I say we are honored to treat these patients. This isn’t just a job. It’s a mission in life.”
Finally, Hyman tried out her new nose, an experience she described as very emotional. Interestingly, she’s able to taste and smell through the prosthetic – but she cheerfully refers to herself as a mouth breather. “I have two slits where my nostrils were, but they’re so small, I can’t breathe through them,” she explained.
Challenges with the prosthetic were soon worked out. At first, Hyman’s nose was attached her nose with magnets, using a metal rod planted in her skull. But the rod didn’t hold, and the method was swapped in favor of using glue to keep the nose in place. The finishing touch? A pair of stylish glasses, though Jackie has no need for them.
“It’s difficult to wear clear lenses all the time, but that’s a small price to pay,” she laughed. “I can finally go out after almost 10 years – and I have winter noses and summer noses, since I tend to get a good bit of sun on my face reading outside. My new friends say things like, ‘If you’d never told me about your nose, we wouldn’t even know.’ That’s a testament to Dr. Davis’ work.”
By Denise K. James
