•Facial Transplant Patient Revealed: 3 tells about human nature

Connie Culp (Before and After)

Today, the 4th face transplant patient in the world was revealed.  Her name is Connie Culp and she was shot in the face by her husband with a shotgun.  “Hundreds of fragments of shotgun pellet and bone splinters were embedded in her face.”  She was left with a gaping whole.  Although she went through 30+ operations (from skin graphs to bone reconstructions), nothing helped her with her inability to eat solid foods, breathe on her own and smell.  Then in December 2008, a team of doctors replaced 80% of Culp’s face with “bone, muscles, nerves, skin and blood vessels from another woman who had just died.”  An amazing feat in itself.  But what’s more amazing is that since her surgery, her body has had little rejection to the new tissue.  Culp can now smile, smell and taste her food again.

Connie Culp (2004 photo / CT Scan / Post Surgery)

This shows 3 amazing things about human nature:

1.  Generosity. Donors in general are amazing people.  They do a tremendous service for those in need when they have pass the physical realm of living.  In Culp’s case (as well as that of the other 3 facial transplant cases), the donor not only provided Culp with a new face (bones, muscles, blood vessels, etc.), but she allowed for Culp to have a brand new life!

2.  Curiosity. The best ideas come from our innate desire to question the unknown.  Our curiosity brought us the miracles of space travel, tv, the internet, and now face transplants.

3.  Ingenuity. Humans have always been curious about the endless possibilities out there, but scientists put those curiosities to the test.  These doctors created and perfected a process by which someone who had his/her life and happiness unfairly stripped away can have a chance to live again.

This event (though not the first) is what I call “amazing”!

Oh and in case you’re wondering about Culp’s new facial shape: “doctors plan to pare away as her circulation improves and her nerves grow, animating her new muscles.”