In 2003 Donnie Fritts, 55, underwent surgery to have the middle of his face removed including his nose, upper lip and palate and part of his forehead.
He had been diagnosed with an ultra-rare form of cancer called ameloblastic carcinoma, a condition only 26 people have in the world.
Donnie said: "It was like I was stuck in a nightmare and couldn't wake up. I’ve never had anything that felt so hellish to me in my life.
“I was so sad. I didn’t know if my kids or grandkids would ever want to look at me again. And I wouldn’t have blamed them.
“But at least those fears were put to rest when they came to see me, showering me with kisses. It meant the world, as did Sharon’s support. If I hadn’t had her there holding my hand I never would have made it.”
In 2002 the dad-of-three started having unusual pain in his teeth. Then one night as he tucked into his favourite meal of steak and chips he felt a worrying pain in his mouth.
“I told Sharon it felt like my teeth were coming loose,”
Donnie recalled. “It was really painful.”
The next day he saw a dentist who referred him to a doctor who thought it was simply a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics. Despite the increasing pain and his teeth growing looser every day, a further 14 doctors gave the same diagnosis.
His wife Sharon said: “One morning I heard a cry from the bathroom. Donnie was calling for me, he needed help.
“His nose, which had been looking increasingly rashy, had become red raw. As he touched it with his finger blood and puss started pouring out.
“He put his fingers inside and a huge lump of bloody flesh popped out and landed in the sink. He was in agony. The smell was horrific – like rotting meat.
“We were both in tears.
“I’d had enough. We were going to demand to see a specialist who would get to the bottom of this.”
The couple, from Calhoun, Georgia, USA, went to a specialist in Atlanta where Donnie was finally given a biopsy.
Sharon said: “The news was devastating. The doctor said Donnie had this aggressive cancer and if he didn’t have loads of his face removed he would certainly die a terrible, painful death.”
Donnie added: “I hit rock bottom. I was only 49 but I would never properly kiss my wife again. I’d never chew another meal, may not be able to talk, sing, work or even see.
“I wasn’t sure if life after surgery would even be worth living. I thought about just letting the cancer kill me. But I knew Sharon wouldn’t allow it. And I couldn’t leave her on her own. I knew I had to do what I could to survive this.”
In August 2003 Donnie underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove the three tumours that were threatening his life. He was given just a two per cent chance of surviving.
Amazingly the operation was a success, but when Donnie woke from the anesthetic to see his reflection he was horrified.
“The bad news was I looked hideous. I caught a glimpse of myself on a shiny part of an X-ray machine as I lay there and I actually pushed myself back as I was laying down, thinking I had seen a ghost or a monster. Then I realised it was me,” he said.
He went on to have another 35 surgeries over six years to stabalise his face.
In 2011 a team of surgeons and a CIA disguise maker Robert Barron made him a metal frame that was screwed into his face to support a new prosthetic mask and palette.
Donnie said: “It looked so real too. When I left the house there was no staring – people didn’t even notice I was different.
“I could kiss my wife, we could go out for dinner. We were both so happy.”
But after contracting a life-threatening infection around the structure he has been left at square one.
Donnie said: “I should give Sharon a trophy the size of our house saying: ‘You’re the best wife in the whole world.’ She stuck by me through thick and thin. She doesn’t quit.
“I just keep on going because we can’t quit. We’ve got to fight for what we want.
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My husband!!!
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