Ohio, United States
Connie Culp, the first recipient of a partial facial transplant in U.S, died at 57, as confirmed on Saturday by the Cleveland Clinic of the state of Ohio, where he underwent the delicate operation almost 12 years ago.
The health center did not mention any cause of death Friday night in a message from its TWitter online account, citing one of its doctors, Frank Papay, who mentioned her as a “great pioneer.”
“His decision to undergo a sometimes daunting procedure is an enduring gift for all of humanity,” added Papay, director of the Institute of Dermatology and Plastic surgery from the clinic.
Culp She was seriously injured in 2004 when her husband shot her and then shot himself.
The bullet impact destroyed his nose, cheeks, palate, and right eye. His partner’s injuries were much less, and he ended up being jailed for seven years for the attack.
Culp had 30 surgeries before undergo surgery transplant in 2008 at the Cleveland Clinic, an intensely complex procedure that took 22 hours over two days.
But the operation, performed around the world just a few dozen times, can mean a lifelong struggle to prevent the body from rejecting implanted tissue. And medications designed to prevent such rejection can lead to a number of infections and even cancer.
This woman, a mother of two, dedicated herself after the operation to giving talks on domestic violence and encouraging other people who had face transplants, including Charla Nash, a Connecticut citizen who was mutilated by a pet chimpanzee.
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