This is sad and yet great story on how the facial transplant is helping.  She may not be beautiful, but what a surgical feat.  The only thing that is somewhat bothersome to me in the story is the fact that she would take her husband back, the one who shot her in the face.  I can see forgiving, but to take him back?  Just my own personal opinion there. 

A shotgun blast shattered Connie Culp's face in September 2004, smashing her nose, cheek and jaw. It robbed her of the ability to see, smell, even to smile.  Dr. Kathy Coffman, the psychiatrist who worked with Culp, said she was a resilient patient, having been through 27 other procedures before the face transplant, and she believes Culp will be a good ambassador to other potential patients.

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This is how she looks today and the extra skin is hanging for a specific reason and will be tucked in later. 

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This is how she looked before the gun shot in her face. 

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This is how they hope she will look when everything is healed.  What a big transition and at least she will have some quality of life.  Watch the video at the link below to see the full video from ABC.  BD

So when Culp, who became the first patient in the United States to undergo a face transplant operation last December, appeared publicly to thank the doctors who performed the surgery, the occasion was an emotional one.

Culp required the surgery from injuries she sustained when she was shot in the face in 2004. The episode left her unable to eat, smell, or taste, according to a statement from the Cleveland Clinic. Culp was also unable to breathe without a tracheotomy.

"I just want to say when somebody has a disfigurement and don't look as pretty as you do, don't judge them, because you never know what happened to them. I was shot," Culp said.

First U.S. Face Transplant Patient Appears Before Cameras - ABC News

Related Reading:

Chimp attack victim flown to Cleveland Clinic to see a reconstructive surgery specialist

Face Transplant a First for the US

Two More Face Transplants Show Promising Results - in Surgery

World's First Full Face Transplant Hailed

1 comments :

  1. I know a man that was electrocuted and has to wear a mask, he has no nose or ears. He is blind and basically in a wheel chair. His wife stood by him and took care of him for years. She died suddenly about 2 years ago. This man would be a great candidate for a face transplant. Who can I contact?

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