America's first face transplant recipient, Connie Carle (right), with her daughter and granddaughter
Connie Carle underwent a face transplant in 2008, becoming America's first face transplant recipient. Three years later, she has gradually adapted to her new face, regained her courage, and bid farewell to her past.
New Beginnings
Drawing lip lines with lipstick was a milestone for Karp. Before the transplant, applying makeup was an "impossible task."
Comparison photos published by the UK's Daily Mail on the 26th show her face now has a slightly square shape, appears somewhat swollen, and has some skin laxity—yet looks far more normal than before the transplant.Before the transplant, she had lost an eye, her nose, and upper jaw, with her face contorted into terrifying folds.
Poor vision made daily tasks challenging, yet she persisted in applying makeup daily to "hold her head high" when venturing out.
"It's not my face, but I'm grateful to have a face," she said.
Now 48, Karp resides in United Harbor, Ohio. In September 2004, her then-husband Tom Karp shot her in the face with a shotgun, causing her to lose an eye, her nose, and upper jaw, leaving her unable to breathe or eat normally.
In December 2008, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio performed a facial transplant on Karp using the face of a deceased female heart transplant recipient. The surgery took 22 hours. Doctors spent about nine hours removing most of the donor's face—including the lower eyelids, nose, cheeks, and jaw—before transplanting it onto Karp.
Adjustment
Tom was convicted of assault after the 2004 incident and was released from prison last week.
Kalp now lives with her two children and formally divorced Tom this past May. Speaking of her ex-husband, Kalp said, "I still love him. Perhaps because he's the father of my children, I always will love him. But I can't be with him."
Today, Karp's facial functions are gradually recovering, and she can care for herself. Though her post-operative recovery has been remarkably smooth, she must take anti-rejection medication for life and faces the risk of life-threatening complications.
"The kids call me 'the devil' when they see me. They're just kids, but their words get me down," she said. "To overcome that, I always look for the positive in life."