After try to suicide at the age of 18, a woman from the US should has face transplant

News24xx.com -  At the age of 18, Katie Stubblefield lost the majority of her face after suffering severe gunshot wounds in an attempted suicide. Katie attempted to take her own life in March 2014 in Mississippi, US, and doctors initially thought she would never survive her injuries.

Four years after the incident, now she has shared her story and incredible photos of her transplant journey with National Geographic. 

Katie told the magazine in its September issue cover story The Story Of a Face, that the major operation has given her a second chance at life. After 22 operations and her final face transplant she has decided to spread her message to help others suffering with suicidal thoughts. 

She said, "Life is precious and life is beautiful."

Katie’s new face was donated by the family of Adrea Schneider, a 31-year-old mother-of-one who who died as the result of a drug overdose. Before, Schneider's organs have saved the lives of seven people.

Katie received a new forehead, eyelids, eye sockets, nose, mouth and lips, cheeks, upper jaw and teeth. 

Dr Brian Gastman, who was part of the surgical team, explained, "We would do that for anybody, but many of us are parents ourselves and we saw what her own parents were going through."

Katie Stubblefield  is the 40th person in the world to be given a face transplant in an operation that lasted 31 hours. It took 11 surgeons and made the use of virtual reality techniques and 3D printing. 

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS24XX.COM/DEV/RED