Connie Culp, First U.S. Face Transplant Patient, Still on Long Road to Recovery
Nearly a year after receiving the first face transplant surgery ever performed in the United States, Connie Culp can taste, smell, talk and is regaining motor functions in her face. The November/December issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery reported recently that regaining the ability to breathe through her nose opened new possibilities to Culp.
Connie Culp is working toward recovery from the shotgun blast that destroyed her face.
Culp, who appeared on The Oprah Winfrey show in September, was shot in the face by her husband, Tom Culp, in 2004. The shotgun blast took her nose, cheeks and jaw and left her blind and barely alive. Tom Culp then shot himself, but survived. He was convicted of attempted murder and is currently in prison.
In December 2008, Connie Culp recieved the most extensive face transplant surgery ever performed. Before and after pictures reveal a startling transformation. Culp was given a face, but large lumps of flesh clung to her cheeks as the nerves and blood vessels regenerated within. The amount of extra flesh continues to be reduced as Culp undergoes a series of surgeries meant to give her as normal a life as possible.
While appearing on Oprah, Culp created some controversy as she admitted that she still has feelings for her abusive husband and she would consider rekindling their relationship when he gets out of prison.
Connie Culp is working toward recovery from the shotgun blast that destroyed her face.Culp, who appeared on The Oprah Winfrey show in September, was shot in the face by her husband, Tom Culp, in 2004. The shotgun blast took her nose, cheeks and jaw and left her blind and barely alive. Tom Culp then shot himself, but survived. He was convicted of attempted murder and is currently in prison.
In December 2008, Connie Culp recieved the most extensive face transplant surgery ever performed. Before and after pictures reveal a startling transformation. Culp was given a face, but large lumps of flesh clung to her cheeks as the nerves and blood vessels regenerated within. The amount of extra flesh continues to be reduced as Culp undergoes a series of surgeries meant to give her as normal a life as possible.
While appearing on Oprah, Culp created some controversy as she admitted that she still has feelings for her abusive husband and she would consider rekindling their relationship when he gets out of prison.
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