WARNING: A photo below that shows the extent of Ronald Poppo’s injuries and the state of his recovery may be too graphic for some readers
MIAMI – A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami appeared Tuesday to be mostly at peace with his disfigurement, strumming a guitar, making jokes and thanking people for their donations to help pay for his care.
Ronald Poppo doesn’t like to leave his hospital room, though, and he won’t allow anyone to visit, other than his doctors and nurses. “My face,” he said.
The 66-year-old Poppo lost his left eye, his nose and most of the surrounding skin when a naked man attacked him for no reason beside a highway a year ago.
A police officer shot and killed Poppo’s attacker, Rudy Eugene. It’s still not clear provoked Eugene. Callers reported seeing a naked Eugene swinging from a light pole minutes before the attack. Lab tests found only marijuana in his system.
Poppo doesn’t blame Eugene for what happened, said Adolfa Sigue, nurse manager at the Jackson Memorial Perdue Medical Center, where he lives.
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“The only thing that he always tells me is that, ‘I’m sure that that man had a bad day that day,”‘ Sigue said.
In a brief video posted online Tuesday by the hospital caring for him, Poppo’s left eye socket is a hollow shadow, his blinded right eye is covered by a skin graft and his nose is reduced to just the nostrils. Still, he leaves his face uncovered to address the camera.
WATCH: Ronald Poppo’s message to supporters
Poppo could still use his own tissues or prosthetics to replace his nose or eye, but he is not interested in more facial reconstruction.
“There’s still work that can be done, but he’s more than happy with how he is now, and he’s quite grateful,” said Dr. Wrood Kassira, a plastic surgeon.
Poppo still requires daily medical care for his wounds. He can dress himself and is learning again to play the guitar, an instrument he had not picked up for 40 years.
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