Connie Culp facts for kids

Connie Culp (March 26, 1963 – July 29, 2020) was the first United States recipient of a partial face transplant, performed at the Cleveland Clinic in December 2008.

Culp's nose, cheeks, the roof of her mouth and an eye were destroyed in a shotgun blast. She underwent 30 operations prior to the face transplant on December 10, 2008. Surgeon Maria Siemionow led a team of doctors in a 22-hour operation that replaced 80 percent of Culp's face with the face from another woman who had recently died.

Her nose was rebuilt and some of the disfigurement repaired in the operation. The Associated Press reported that Culp was able to breathe on her own and eat solid food following the transplant, adding "Ms. Culp's expressions are still a bit wooden, and she remains almost blind (right eye is prosthetic, left eye is damaged), but she can talk, smile, smell and taste food again, and has learned braille. Her speech is at times difficult to understand. Her face is bloated and squarish, and her skin droops in folds that doctors plan to pare away as her circulation improves and her nerves grow, animating new muscles." She worked as an advocate fostering understanding for survivors of burns or other disfigurements.

In 2010, Culp had her final facial surgery performed and regained much of her facial function, including the ability to smile, speak, and feel facial sensations due to the regrowth of facial nerves.

On July 29, 2020, Culp died from an infection unrelated to her face transplant. She was 57 years old.

Frank Papay, the chair of the Cleveland Clinic's Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute who was on Culp's surgical squad, reflected upon her death: "Connie was an incredibly brave, vibrant woman and an inspiration to many. Her strength was evident in the fact that she had been the longest-living face transplant patient to date. She was a great pioneer and her decision to undergo a sometimes-daunting procedure is an enduring gift for all of humanity."

See also

In Spanish: Connie Culp para niños