Connie Culp Revealed as First US Face Transplant Recipient

Connie Culp Revealed as First US Face Transplant Recipient

Boston (SmartAboutHealth) - The very first American face transplant recipient has been revealed as Connie Culp, a woman who was shot in the face by her husband.

The mother of 2 was left without the majority of her face, and underwent a 20 hour operation last year at the Cleveland Clinic.

Up until now, the identity of Culp had been kept confidential but she finally went public with her new face, to the awe of many.

“Well, I guess I’m the one you came to see today,” she stated.

During the lengthy procedure, surgeons replaced up to 80% of her face, using skin tissue from a dead female donor.

The only part of her face not replaced was her forehead.

Connie has regained the ability to tast her food, to smile and make other facial expressions.

Despite the fact that her speech is hard to understand sometimes, and her face appears to be a little bloated, she is thankful to have the face she has and credits the team of surgeons for the great work they did for her.

Her husband, Tom Culp was sentenced to only 5 years in jail for what he did.