For American woman Connie culp, putting lipstick on her lips is a milestone. Connie is an unfortunate woman. A few years ago, her angry ex-husband shot her in the face, disfigured her and seriously damaged her upper lip, nose, palate, one eye and two cheeks. In 2008, she received a face transplant and became the first "face changer" in the United States.
The shadow of domestic violence lingers.
Connie, 48, who lives in Ohio, finally got up the courage to tell the terrible domestic violence she suffered. Although her cruel ex-husband disfigured her, Connie still loves him. Because of this terrible crime, Connie's ex-husband Tom culp was sentenced to seven years in prison. Last week, 52-year-old culp was released from prison. Describing this terrible experience that changed her life forever, Connie said, "I remember every detail, which made the doctor feel unbelievable. I remember him raising his gun, remembering every word he said, and remembering that he finally pulled the trigger. I will never forget the situation at that time, and my fate has changed since then. "
Connie used to run a bar with her ex-husband culp in Hopedale, Ohio. In September, 2004, Connie was shot by her ex-husband in a bar. Not only was her face disfigured, but her left eye was almost completely blind. She said, "There were signs before that. He wanted my life. He hit me several times before as a warning, but I didn't realize it. I never thought he would do such a terrible thing to me. "
Although her ex-husband completely ruined her life, Connie said she still loved him. She said, "I may still love him. After all, he is the father of the child, but I can't live with him. " Recently, the mother of two children returned to the bar for the first time after that terrible night eight years ago. She said, "He is jealous because everyone likes me very much. Not only men, but also girls and customers I work with are very popular with me. I think it will make him jealous. At that time, the bar was short of funds and we were under great pressure, which may also be an important reason. During that time, he often smashed things at home, sometimes mine, such as the trophy I won in the karate championship. At that time, he seemed crazy. That night, we were in a bar, and he suddenly went crazy, took out a shotgun and shot at me. "
The new face gave Connie a new life and made her optimistic. Whenever she has time, Connie plays with her grandson Marcus. After the tragedy, Connie's daughter Alicia has been taking good care of her life.
Accept it calmly and face it bravely
Despite the misfortune, Connie faced life bravely. She said, "Life has to go on. I don't want people to sympathize with me, but treat me as I used to. " If I have been living in the shadow of the past, my life will not continue. "Although I seldom reveal my inner feelings to others, when I mention my ex-husband Kulp, people will not only feel sadness and disappointment in her voice, but also feel sudden anger.
After shooting at his wife, culp put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Although he was seriously injured, he survived. Connie said, "He wasted a bullet. He never admits what he has done, but only complains about others. " After being shot in a bar, Connie was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. In order to treat this terrible gunshot wound, the surgeon performed many operations on her. During the hospitalization, two children, Steven, 30, and Alicia, 28, stayed with her. They all think it is a miracle that mother can survive.
Fortunately in misfortune.
In addition to her ex-husband, Connie, who is beyond recognition, has a hard time facing the children, fearing that they will see her reaction. She said, "They may call me a monster. They mean no harm, they are just children, but it still makes me feel very depressed. Faced with this kind of thing, I can only think of some positive things. I am still alive, I still have children, and they all care about me. "
From June 5th, 2008 to October, 2008/kloc-0, Connie's name appeared on the waiting list for face transplant in Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. Chad Gordon is one of the eight surgeons involved in the operation. He said: "The problem we face is that we need to find a local female donor and transplant her face to Connie as soon as possible. We need to find a deceased with the same age and blood type as Connie and register as a donor. In the United States, there are not many people registered as donors, so the chances of finding a matching donor are very low. "
June 5438+February 2008 10, only two months later, the medical team found a matching donor. At that time, a local woman died of a heart attack. Her family didn't see Connie. After more than four years of misfortune, Connie finally had a chance to have a new face. Connie rushed to the clinic as soon as she heard the news. Gordon reminded her that the operation might kill her. She said: "It is a miracle that I survived being shot. I believe that you will create a second miracle in me. "
This medical team is led by Maria Minova, a famous surgeon. After more than 20 hours of surgery, Connie has a new face. During the operation, doctors used a hand-painted template and a plastic model of Connie's face as a reference. They first cut off the damaged part and then transplanted the donor's face. During the operation, the doctor transplanted the cheekbones, maxilla, palate, orbit and teeth for Connie.
The photo on the left was taken in 2008. The doctor in the photo is Chad Gordon who performed the transplant for Connie. The picture on the right was taken in May, 20 1 1. Connie recovered quickly in these two years.
Need to take medicine for life
Connie knows very well that waiting for her after the operation will be a serious challenge that will last for the rest of her life. She said, "Everyone says you'd better forget it after the transplant, but I can't. I want to tell the world that patients like me can't do this at all. Every day I ask myself why I need to transplant a new face. Terrible memories always haunt me. "
A nurse goes to Connie's house three times a week to check her health and determine whether her body rejects her new face. She takes a series of drugs every day to help her body suppress rejection. She has poor eyesight in her left eye, so it is difficult for her to manage her daily life alone. Fortunately, she can use a series of technical equipment. Connie said, "I put a medicine reminder in my bedroom to remind me to take medicine and the correct dosage." I know what time it is by the alarm clock, and the clothes scanner says goodbye to me, so that I won't wear the wrong clothes. If it weren't for this scanner, I might wear two different socks to go out. "
Connie walks on crutches, and the local shopkeeper helps her choose food. She relies on a file amplifier to look at family photos, recall happy moments, and read letters and files through this amplifier. After taking medicine every day, Connie will stand in front of the bathroom mirror and make up seriously. She said: "Now I have the courage to go out and hold my head high. My appearance has changed greatly. I can't see my face clearly, I can only see the outline. I know this is not my face, but I still feel lucky to have such a new face. "
The courage to live touched the world.
The new face gave Connie a new life and became more optimistic. Whenever she has time, she plays with her 4-year-old grandson maddox. Two children, Steven and Alicia, take good care of her life and help her with all kinds of housework. In order to help the body accept new faces, Connie regularly does various exercises. She said: "I will put my toothbrush between my lips and stick to it as long as possible." However, I can only hold on for a few seconds. Being able to do these little things by myself is my goal. I wish I could drink milk through a straw, but unfortunately, my strength is not enough now. Smiling is hard for me, too. I get angry when maddox doesn't listen, but I hope he can see my smile. They told me that frowning involves more muscles than smiling, but I don't know why many people always frown. They should smile more, because it is much easier than frowning. "
Connie's other big goal is to help others. She attended the meeting as an ambassador to promote organ donation. If it weren't for that kind donor, her life would be different. Connie said: "It would be great if my efforts could increase the number of donors and give more patients the opportunity to receive transplants." Connie's courage and indomitable spirit touched the whole world. She said: "Being able to survive after the shooting is the first miracle I created, and being able to survive after the face transplant is the second miracle. Although life after surgery still faces great challenges, new faces have greatly changed my life. "