The 36-hour hour operation was extremely controversial - it was elective surgery, and Norris only had a 50 percent chance of survival - but the result was not only a new life for him, but a groundbreaking new study for doctors learning to treat soldiers and other victims of severe facial injuries.
'A drop of hope can create an ocean, but a bucket of faith can create an entire world,' Norris tells GQ, which he features in next month.
Norris said he is proud to be a 'lab rat' and happy to spend the rest of his life in and out of hospitals being evaluated by surgeons.
The doctor that performed the operation at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Dr Eduardo Rodriguez, said when Norris opted to undergo the intense procedure, he was agreeing to take on an enormous responsibility.
'He never really thought about himself in all of this,' Rodriguez told the magazine.
'He's always thought about helping the wounded warriors and the other people, and providing hope. He's a remarkable man.'
Norris was 22 when his face 'exploded'.
He had arrived home drunk and was arguing with his mother when he took a shotgun from his gun cabinet and told his mom he was going to shoot himself.
He racked a shell into the chamber and the gun went off.
The accident left Norris with no teeth, no nose and only part of his tongue. He was still able to taste but could not smell. When he went out in public, usually at night, he hid behind a hat and mask.
Some parts of the anatomy, such as eyelids and lips, are just too complex to recreate, he noted.
'You can create a semblance of something, but I can guarantee you it's not normal by any means.'
Disfigured: When he shot himself in the face in 1997 he lost his nose, lips and most movement in his mouth
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