A brit who broke nearly every bone in his face in a horror skiing accident has said he is only just ‘starting to recognise himself’ after undergoing 12 hours of major surgery.
Josh Ziv, 22 from Barnet in London, fell off a 20ft cliff while on a family skiing holiday in Courmayeur, Italy.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Turin where it was found he had broke nearly every bone in face except his jaw. Mr Ziv had also broke his pelvis and ribs and had a punctured lung and a dislocated shoulder.
Then, Mr Ziv underwent a 12 hour surgery to install titanium plates into his face and skull to reconstruct it – leaving him with a huge scar from ear to ear. On top of the major facial surgery, Mr Ziv also had a hip operation where three screws were placed in his hip to stabalise the fractures in his pelvis.
The accident has changed the appearance of Mr Ziv’s face and he had to relearn to walk.
Josh Ziv, 22 from Barnet, recovering in hospital after he fell off a 20ft cliff while on a family skiing holiday in Courmayeur, Italy
Mr Ziv underwent a 12 hour surgery to install titanium plates into his face and skull to reconstruct it – leaving him with a huge scar from ear to ear
An X-ray of Mr Ziv’s face. Once he was airlifted to a hospital in Turin it was found Mr Ziv had broke nearly every bone in face except his jaw
The accident happened in February 2023 and Mr Ziv spent eight weeks recovering in Italy before he was well enough to fly back to London in April 2023.
He said: ‘For about two to three weeks after the surgery – movement in my face was there but restricted.
‘For example, raising my eyebrows was tough and certain movements with my mouth – like pouting – were quite tough.
‘My left eye was also very damaged and very swollen, so movement in that eye was non-existent at the beginning.
‘Talking-wise, I could always talk but everything was a bit mumbled. I broke my hard palate directly down the middle and it had quite a large split in it – which made talking quite difficult.
‘After the surgery, I also had my jaw wired which obstructed my mouth a bit.’
Once he arrived back home. Mr Ziv became self-conscious about his scars.
He said: ‘I didn’t want anyone looking at me. It was horrible.
‘Even seeing me in the back of pictures and stuff – it really affected me.
Mr Ziv re-learning to walk after the accident. He also had a hip operation where three screws were placed in his hip to stabalise the fractures in his pelvis
A 3D model of the damage to Mr Ziv’s face. Mr Ziv said: ‘For about two to three weeks after the surgery – movement in my face was there but restricted
Mr Ziv recovering in hospital. Once he arrived back home. Mr Ziv became self-conscious about his scars. He said: ‘I didn’t want anyone looking at me. It was horrible’
‘It’s massive when you don’t feel confident about how you look. Everything kind of falls apart.’
In June 2023, Mr Ziv underwent his second facial surgery at Royal London Hospital with surgeons Professor Simon Holmes and Dr Chrysavgi Oikonomou.
He said: ‘They make custom plates and titanium meshes that create symmetry in your face.
‘They take scans of your skull and match it like a mirror to make custom implants to install into your face.
‘The surgeons did an incredible job. It took them two months to plan it.
‘Now, I have full movement in my face.’
Ellie Segrue, 22, Mr Ziv’s girlfriend, has been with him every step of the way.
She said: ‘Seeing Josh in that way was awful. I felt so helpless and just wanted to take it away from him. It’s so difficult to watch someone you love suffering.’
‘To me, nothing changed. He is still Josh. I treated him exactly the same.
‘We slowly started going out after a while and I just tried to distract him from how he was feeling.
‘I tried to reassure him that no one would look at him differently and always tried to make sure he was as comfortable as possible in any situation.’
Mr Ziv is running the London Marathon at the end of April to raise money for Changing Faces – a charity helping those with a visible difference and disfigurements.
Mr Ziv with his girlfriend, Ellie Segrue. She said: ‘Seeing Josh in that way was awful. I felt so helpless and just wanted to take it away from him. It’s so difficult to watch someone you love suffering’
Mr Ziv training for the London Marathon. He is raising money for Changing Faces – a charity helping those with a visible difference
He said: ‘I always joked around with my mum that when I can move around again, I can run a marathon.
‘I remember reading some of the stories on the website and really resonating with it.
‘It has really affected me and the work they do to help with confidence and support.
‘It’s like the perfect full circle moment and it’s good to give back.’
Mr Ziv added: ‘What’s important is to remember it’s always bigger in you head than it is and everyone loves you.
‘Everyone has their own little differences and scars, lumps and bumps.’
To donate Josh’s fundraiser click here.