THE FIRST FACE TRANSPLANT

 

Though the first face transplant was successful and the doctors were very happy, there lies a very tragic story behind this attempt…

This transplant was performed on Mrs. Connie Culp whose face was shot by her husband Thomas G. “Tom” Culp in a failed murder-suicide in September 2004.

The shotgun blast fully destroyed Connie’s nose, cheeks,an eye, and the roof of her mouth. Connie had to undergo 30 operations prior to the face transplant. The team of doctors led by surgeon Maria Siemionow in a 22-hour operation. This operation replaced 80 per cent of Connie’s face with the face from another woman who had recently died.

Her nose was rebuilt in the operation and then she was able to breath on her own, eat solid food, talk (though not clearly), smile and smell. But still then she remained almost blind as her right eye was prosthetic and left one was completely damaged, and so she learned braille. The skin of her face droops in folds that doctors plan to operate as the blood circulation improves and nerves develop.

In 2010, a final facial surgery was performed and Connie regained much of her face and facial functions like smiling, speaking, and feeling facial sensations as the nerves have regrown.

And she now is an advocate, fostering understanding the survivor of blasts, burns or other disfigurements.