Face Transplant Unveiled After Shotgun Blast

**astasinim** · 07-05-2009, 12:27 AM

An American woman who was given a near-total face transplant after a shotgun attack by her husband has unveiled the results of her surgery.

Connie Culp, 46, was left without a nose, a palate or lower eyelids when she was blasted in 2004.
Hundreds of fragments of shotgun pellet and bone splinters were embedded in her face. She needed a tube into her windpipe to breathe.
Only her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin were left.
Last December she underwent a 22-hour procedure at the Cleveland Clinic in the state of Ohio, where a team of 11 surgeons restored about 80% of Ms Culp's face using facial tissue from a dead woman.

The doctors said Ms Culp, who was missing bone support and had been unable to eat or breathe without a tube in her windpipe, could now perform those functions normally.
"I guess I'm the one you came to see today," the 46-year-old Ohio woman said at a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic, where the groundbreaking operation was performed.
"But I think it's more important that you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this person's face," she said.

Graphic of the face transplant

Although the clinic had revealed the surgery in December, Ms Culp's identity and the incident that disfigured her were kept secret.
She said when plastic surgeon Risal Djohan first looked her injuries "he told me he didn't think, he wasn't sure, if he could fix me, but he'd try.
"But here I am, five years later. He did what he said - I got me my nose," she said with a laugh.

The surgeons at work in Cleveland

Culp said she wants to help foster acceptance of those who have suffered burns and other disfiguring injuries.
"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," she said.
"Don't judge people who don't look the same as you do. Because you never know. One day it might be all taken away."
It's a role she has already practiced, said clinic psychiatrist Dr. Kathy Coffman.
Once while shopping, "she heard a little kid say, `You said there were no real monsters mommy, and there's one right there,'" Coffman said.
Culp stopped and said, "I'm not a monster. I'm a person who was shot," and pulled out her driver's license to show the child what she used to look like, the psychiatrist said.

**daveboy** · 07-05-2009, 12:31 AM

they've turned her into sponge bob.

DaffyDuck · 07-05-2009, 12:40 AM

What happened to her husband? I sure hope the bastard is being sodomized in jail, or worse.... What a terrible tragedy for this woman...

**Loy Toy** · 07-05-2009, 12:42 AM

Wonderful job and all credit to the surgeons.

The husband obviously wanted to disfigure his wife and I hope will be locked away for many years.

DaffyDuck · 07-05-2009, 12:46 AM

Just looked it up - her husband turned the shotgun on himself, survived, and apparently WENT TO PRISON FOR ONLY SEVEN YEARS!!!

Culp’s husband, Thomas, shot her in 2004, then turned the gun on himself. He went to prison for seven years. His wife was left clinging to life.

Face transplant patient: â€˜I'm not a monsterâ€™ - Health care- msnbc.com

Connie Culpâ€™s new face signifies a new beginning « eFitnessNow

**barbaro** · 07-05-2009, 02:03 AM

^ unbelievable. Only 7 years?! What a croc!

**dirtydog** · 07-05-2009, 03:39 AM

Connie Culp: Facing The Public.

**jim1176** · 07-05-2009, 05:29 AM

This whole story is very sad and begs the question when would it be better to just throw in the towel.

**robuzo** · 07-05-2009, 05:58 AM

Anyone not having seen the excellent BBC Documentary The Human Face might want to check it out

**friscofrankie** · 07-05-2009, 06:02 AM

Poor woman she now looks like meryl streep.

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

The husband obviously wanted to disfigure his wife

Shotgun to the face; really think he was after a bigger prize.

I've always found the fact that attempted murder carries a different penalty than the accomplished fact odd. Attempted robbery? Is a robbery, try to sell a cop a some weed? Same as. Shoot some one in the face with a shotgun? Well then, that's different!

**robuzo** · 07-05-2009, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by friscofrankie

I've always found the fact that attempted murder carries a different penalty than the accomplished fact odd. Attempted robbery? Is a robbery, try to sell a cop a some weed? Same as. Shoot some one in the face with a shotgun? Well then, that's different!

I agree, I've always found that strange myself. It's as if you get brownie points for being lucky enough to be incompetent.

**Rural Surin** · 07-05-2009, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

What happened to her husband? I sure hope the bastard is being sodomized in jail, or worse.... What a terrible tragedy for this woman...

Only 7 years. Could be out by 2012.

**taxexile** · 07-05-2009, 08:28 AM

they've turned her into sponge bob.

hard not to laugh at that comment, but apparently they used more flesh and muscle than necessary in case tissue rejection became an issue. she will have more operations over the next year or so to reduce the bulk and shape of her cheeks and hopefully achieve a more aesthetically pleasing result.

shes a brave woman and i cant imagine what it must have been like for her to suffer such disfigurement.

**Marmite the Dog** · 07-05-2009, 09:18 AM

The surgeons have done an excellent job so far.

It's pretty amazing that her husband only got 7 years though. Then again with all the gun crime there, it's not much a bigger deal than car theft.

**BobR** · 07-05-2009, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Milkman

^ unbelievable. Only 7 years?! What a croc!

Maybe not, I'm sure the judge who sentenced him looked at every aspect of the incident, maybe she was such a bit*c the judge felt empathy for the guy, or maybe the judge has a wife he would like to do the same thing to. How many people do you know, married over 20 years, that are anywhere near happy?

**blackgang** · 07-05-2009, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by DaffyDuck

What happened to her husband? I

As was later posted, he got 7 years for attempted murder, but he would have got that if he completely missed.
and he must have not been to experienced with gunnery as he missed her damn near and even missed killing himself with a shotgun for fuck sakes,, how do you miss 2 shots in a row at close targets with a fucking shot gun.

**panama hat** · 07-05-2009, 09:43 AM

Tragic.

Initially the header made me think of Dick Cheney . . . one can only hope

DaffyDuck · 07-05-2009, 01:23 PM

I do wonder what the husband looks like, seeing as how he tried to shoot himself in the face as well. I wonder by how much he missed...

Thread: Face Transplant Unveiled After Shotgun Blast

Thread Tools

Display

Face Transplant Unveiled After Shotgun Blast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

Posting Permissions