Connie Culp, the 46 year-old woman from Ohio who received the first US face transplant in December, revealed her new face on Tuesday at a Cleveland Clinic press conference. In 2004, she was shot by her husband, which left her without a palate, nose or lower eyelids. In the 22 hour surgery, a team of 11 surgeons transplanted nearly all of Culp's face.
As you can see from the image above, Culp was missing bone structure. She was unable to breath or eat without a tracheostomy tube, or a tube in her windwipe. After the surgery, Connie now has a fully functioning mouth and nose - she's even eating hamburgers and pizza! This has been said to be the most medically complex reconstructive surgery ever. Connie has more surgeries yet to come, but she has made drastic strides towards her recovery. Doctors says her spirits are high and her life has been changed dramatically for the better.
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