I’m marrying the man with the world’s first face transplant – teenagers taunt us & cruel trolls say I’m a gold digger

POSTING quality of her engagement connected Instagram alongside a drawback of her caller fiance, smitten Jessica Perez watches arsenic the comments determination in.

But alternatively of congratulating her oregon making gushing comments astir the sparkling diamond ringing connected her finger, Jessica, 33, is ridiculed for her prime successful partner. 

“What’s incorrect with his face?” writes one, portion different jibes, “He indispensable person had an allergic reaction.”

That's due to the fact that Jessica’s fiance is Joe DiMeo, the antheral who made headlines worldwide erstwhile helium had life-changing country to prevention his look backmost successful 2020, pursuing a car mishap 2 years prior.

Since then, he’s had a staggering 20 reconstructive surgeries and go the first-ever idiosyncratic to person a look and treble manus transplant.

Since announcing their engagement earlier this period and present successful the midst of readying their December wedding, the haters person turned connected Joe's bride to be.

"I get a batch of hatred online, astatine this constituent I consciousness similar a punching bag,” explains Jessica, successful an exclusive interview.

"People accidental I’m a golden digger, attraction seeking, and telephone maine fake.

"The disrespect is brainsick particularly - I’m a bully idiosyncratic and bash the close thing, spot maine you privation maine connected your side.”

Nurse Jessica met Joe, 26, successful October 2021 8 months aft his life-changing transplant.

In July 2018, Joe's car deed a curb and caught occurrence arsenic helium drove location from his nighttime displacement arsenic a nutrient tester, leaving him with burns crossed 80% of his body.

The car deed a curb and inferior pole, flipped over, and burst into flames. Another operator who saw the mishap pulled implicit to rescue DiMeo.

Afterward, helium spent months successful a medically induced coma and underwent 20 reconstructive surgeries and aggregate tegument grafts to dainty his extended third-degree burns.

He archetypal bonded with Jessica connected Instagram, aft she work astir his communicative and messaged him.

Their narration rapidly blossomed arsenic they bonded implicit their shared emotion for Boston Terrier dogs - and they present stock Buster, six, and Kirkland, seven.

She says she was instantly taken by him.

“From our archetypal telephone call, Joe was peculiar to me," Jessica recalls.

“We talked each time connected the phone, it was agelong region for america astatine the opening – with maine based successful Ohio and him based astir 600 miles distant successful New Jersey.

"I fell successful emotion with him the archetypal clip I hugged him.

“Joe checks each the boxes for me."

Jessica says she soon became alert of the cruel jibes Joe received astir his appearance.

"Teenagers tin beryllium rude and remark 'what’s incorrect with his face',” she says.

“Joe doesn’t care, but I wonderment however radical are raised truthful poorly.

"It bothers me, radical request to beryllium amended than that. But I besides punctual myself they are apt projecting their jealousy erstwhile they accidental hateful things.

"I bask our online supporters tearing them down. But I volition typically disregard the cowards that fell down a fake profile.”

The mates announced their engagement days aft the connection with a stunning photograph sprout and importune they couldn’t beryllium happier astir starting their “new chapter” together.

“After everything – from the transplant surgeries to the betterment – there’s this feeling of appreciation for the elemental things,” Joe, who is based successful Jersey, US, says.

“Planning this wedding is similar the commencement of a caller chapter.

“It’s a awesome of however acold we’ve travel together."

The connection was acold from lavish but peculiar and recalling the time helium asked Jessica to wed him, Joe says:

“I popped the question earlier dinner.

“It was simple. We went to Peter Luger’s, a spot we some love.

“It was a low-key, intimate infinitesimal surrounded by radical we attraction about, my parents. We’ve built specified a beardown bond, and it was conscionable a earthy adjacent measurement for us.

“I wasn’t excessively tense – it felt similar thing we were some acceptable for.”

Jessica says she “wasn’t surprised” arsenic they had discussed matrimony plans, but that it “didn’t marque it immoderate little special”.

She adds: “Everything conscionable fell into place.”

Jessica says that portion astir of the the feedback they’ve had since their engagement has been positive, the trolling inactive hasn't stopped. 

She adds: "Unfortunately, the online bullying hasn’t wholly gone away. 

"Around 10% of the comments are inactive cruel and repetitive. 

"It’s the aforesaid unoriginal insults, mostly targeting Joe’s appearance, and astatine times, I get attacked personally. 

"Some of the cruellest remarks are conscionable ignorant jokes, similar comparing Joe to idiosyncratic with a peanut allergy oregon bee stings, which lone shows however uneducated radical tin be. 

"We besides get a batch of unsolicited aesculapian advice, which I find frustrating, particularly since I person a aesculapian inheritance myself.”

Jessica says that whilst she blocks retired the hatred astir of the time, she sometimes tries to ‘educate’ instead.

"As for the hate, I disregard astir of it. But each present and then, I respond with the extremity of educating the bullies,” she says.

"It’s shocking erstwhile you spot it’s a azygous begetter making amusive of idiosyncratic with a disability, truthful I mightiness reply with thing like, ‘Do amended for your kids.’ 

"Sometimes it’s grown women attacking me, and I’ll respond the aforesaid way, encouraging them to bash better. 

"We’re each 1 mishap distant from a disablement ourselves, and radical should retrieve that."

As for wedding plans, the mates person acceptable their sights connected eloping and person decided to to caput to Hawaii to necktie the knot.

They're readying an intimate time with conscionable the 2 of them whilst household ticker from afar.

Jessica says: “We primitively planned to spell to Oahu for my birthday, but we decided, wherefore not get joined portion we’re there?

“It’s conscionable going to beryllium america and a unrecorded watercourse for our families, which makes consciousness since I’m from California and Joe’s from New Jersey.

“We wanted to marque it easier connected everyone, truthful doing it virtually felt similar the close call."

And Jessica says she volition proceed to disregard the disapproval and absorption connected her aboriginal with Joe.

“We’re excited astir the aboriginal - we’re gathering a beingness unneurotic that’s grounded successful spot and resilience.

“At the bosom of it, we conscionable privation to bask the moments we person unneurotic – that’s what matters most."