Four years ago Connie Culp was a regular resident from Ohio. But all of that changed the day her husband, Thomas Culp, shot her in the face and then tried to kill himself but survived the gunfire. He was sent to prison for seven years but Connie’s face was unrecognizable. She lost her bone structure and even if she was lucky to be alive, her life became a nightmare. Connie was in excruciating pain all the time, had no nose, could not smell, drink or eat and the only thing keeping her breathing was a tracheotomy. She tried several reconstructive surgeries but all in vain.
At the end of 2008, Connie underwent a full face transplant becoming the first person in the world to receive this kind of surgery. The procedure lasted 22 hours and the doctors removed Connie’s skin, bone structure, nerves, facial muscle, lower eyelids, and replaced them with those taken from a local donor. The surgery was a complete success and the doctors claim that the nerves will eventually regenerate, allowing Connie to show emotion once again.
Nowadays, Connie is able to smell and taste again, she can drink coffee, breathe from her own nose and feels no more pain. At a press conference, Connie took the opportunity to thank the donor family that made it all possible.
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