Doctors Say Victim of Face Chewing, Doing Well

[Nutbutter]

Doctors say the homeless Miami man whose face was mostly chewed off by a naked assailant is awake and alert and doing "well", but in need of more surgery.

Jackson Memorial Hospital released two photos of 65-year-old Ronald Poppo with his permission on Tuesday afternoon, one showing him walking down a corridor assisted on either side by a hospital worker.

The other gives a recent look at Poppo's horrific injuries, roughly 3 and a half weeks after the shocking assault on Miami's MacArthur causeway: one of his eyes is covered by gauze, the other, lost to the attack, is covered by skin. Poppo's nose is missing, and his forehead is a mass of scabs.

(Scroll down for graphic photos. Video above does not contain graphic imagery.)

The lower half of Poppo's face, roughly from mustache down, appears intact. Doctors said approximately 50 percent of his face was missing, and that the "extremely charming" Poppo remembers the attack, understands that he is in hospital, and is aware of media coverage.

"He's pleased to report to all of you that he's feeling well, he's eating, he's walking around with physical therapy, he's talking with us," said University of Miami trauma surgeon Nicholas Namias, co-director of JMH's Ryder Trauma Center. "He's had quite a bit of surgery already."

Plastic surgeon Dr. Wrood Kassira said the medical team's primary goal to date has been to clean and close Poppo's wounds, but her patient has had a "logical" response to conversations about reconstructive surgery.

"We have mental health professionals to help him with the coping, and he's coping remarkably well," she said.

Kassira confirmed Poppo has undergone three surgeries already and is currently fighting an infection, adding that Poppo, who cannot currently see from his remaining eye, also suffered a brain injury similar to someone in a car crash and was admitted with puncture wounds on his chest. (Records show Poppo was shot by an unnamed gunman in Miami's Bayfront Park in 1976.)

"The guy has got to be a survivor," Namias said, according to Local10. "Living on Watson Island for all these years, I think he's got to be a survivor, and I think he's become very pragmatic about life. On any given day, he's living in the moment."

Poppo, who is believed to have been homeless in Miami since the mid-to-late 1970s, is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, officials said. A fund set up by the hospital foundation to assist Poppo (details below) has so far raised $15,000.

"It's amazing," Namias said of Poppo. "He's an extremely charming man. You talk to him, he's very upbeat, he's very pleasant, he hasn't said one thing negative to me. Every time I ask him how he's doing, he says he's doing fine."

The AP reports Poppo, who requests Italian food and can't wait to go swimming, has asked that the television in his room be turned off except to follow Miami Heat games.

"I kid you not, he wanted to talk about the NBA Finals," Namias said. "He asked me if I'd be watching the game tonight, and told me, 'Go Heat.'"

Poppo was lazing on the MacArthur Causeway's westbound Biscayne Boulevard exit ramp sidewalk May 26 when attacked in broad daylight by naked 31-year-old North Miami resident Rudy Eugene, who was caught on surveillance camera trying to strip off Poppo's clothes before brutalizing his face.

A police officer responding to multiple 911 calls from drivers and cyclists shot and killed Eugene when he reportedly ignored orders to stop chewing Poppo's face. An autopsy reportedly discovered Poppo's flesh in the so called "Miami Cannibal"'s mouth, but not in his stomach. Police have speculated that Eugene may have been under the influence of a synthetic drug, but a full toxicology report is still pending.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: The Jackson Memorial Foundation has set up a fund to assist Ronald Poppo in his recovery, which experts in facial reconstruction have said will include lengthy treatment, staged reconstruction, and psychological care. Donations can be made by check or online at jmf.org.






Loading Slideshow
•Gloria Allred, Yovonka Bryant
Yovanka Bryant, right, and her lawyer, Gloria Allred, show a photo of Bryant and her boyfriend Rudy Eugene, during a news conference, Wednesday, June 6, 2012 in Miami. Bryant said she last heard from Eugene the day before he chewed off the face of a homeless man alongside a Miami highway. A police officer shot and killed Eugene. The homeless man remains hospitalized. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

•Gloria Allred, Yovonka Bryant
Yovanka Bryant,left, and her lawyer, Gloria Allred, discuss a recent attack on a homeless man by Brant's boyfriend Rudy Eugene, during a news conference, Wednesday, June 6, 2012 in Miami. Bryant said she last heard from Eugene, the day before he chewed off the face of a homeless man alongside a Miami highway. A police officer shot and killed Eugene. The homeless man remains hospitalized. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

•
•
•Rudy Eugene, undated photo

•Ronald Poppo

•A City of Miami police officer stands watch near the scene where a naked man, far right, was shot dead on the MacArthur Causeway ramp onto Northeast 13th Street in Miami on Saturday, May 26, 2012. A witness said the naked man continued to chew on the face of another naked man on a Miami highway ramp and growled when a police officer tried to stop him. The victim remained hospitalized Monday. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Marsha Halper) MAGS OUT

•Westbound traffic on the MacArthur Causeway, approaching the Northeast 13th Street ramp in Miami, is backed up Saturday May 26, 2012, after a police officer fatally shot a naked man on the ramp who was chewing on the face of another naked man. The victim remained hospitalized Monday. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Marsha Halper) MAGS OUT

•
•
•
•First responders treat Ronald Poppo after the attack.

[Brometheus]

o fuck man.. didnt read article but does he have eyes?


thought it was worse judging by his other bloody pic.. but still pretty bad

[DiamondSmiles]

His right eye had to be removed. There is a flap over the left one. He cannot see right now. Doctors don't know if he will be able to do so at some point.

[redelefant]

Fuck that, haha he is definitely not doing "well".

[gatagato]

He could have been doing much better, poor man.
"What happened to your face?"
"Eh, some dude ate it!"

[ices]

Hopefully he gets cared for properly.

[Sharon]

I wish him all the very best in dealing with the long road ahead mentally and physically.

So glad the bastard who did it was shot, drugs or no drugs.

[kitty_cat75]

so sad

[spycosis]

A dude I used to play pool with had his nose and cheeks bitten off after he beat another player for money (the loser didn't want to pay up). The doctors amputated a toe from his foot and grafted it onto his skull over the gaping nose hole. I saw the toe on his face and you could see clearly that it was a toe. I wondered what he could smell after that but did not ask him.

[banana dick]

poor old guy, but I bet he's going to be just fine.