A young Mississippi woman's story has inspired the world after she became the 40th and youngest person to receive a face transplant.
Katie Stubblefield attempted suicide in 2014 when she was 18 after suffering from months of gastrointestinal operations. The teen's boyfriend had broken up with her, and both of her parents had been let go by their employers.
That's when Ms Stubblefield took a rifle to her face, which didn't kill her, but caused major structural damage. She was transferred to three different hospitals after she was found by her brother, until she eventually stabilised, according to National Geographic.
But her recovery was extremely complicated. Ms Stubblefield had multiple surgeries which included having her skull opened up to stem bleeding on her brain and using skin grafts to close open wounds on her face, among many other daunting procedures.
Ms Stubblefield was reportedly in and out of hospital constantly. But when she was finally declared stable in 2015, her parents were given some hope. Their daughter was placed on a face transplant list from March 2016.
Her face donor emerged in 2017, National Geographic reports: the face of a 31-year-old woman who died of a drug overdose. The donor is said to have saved the lives of seven people thanks to being a registered organ donor.
Ms Stubblefield's face transplant surgery in May 2017 involved 11 surgeons, and required virtual reality techniques to complete it. The transformation involved specialities including plastic surgery, neurology, dentistry, infectious disease, psychiatry, anaesthesia, and more.
The patient was discharged on August 1 last year, and has been re-learning how to walk, move, speak and read braille. Ms Stubblefield survived one of the longest face transplants ever performed and she's the youngest to receive one.
Now 22, she is recovering and hopes to become a suicide councillor one day.
Where to find help and support:
Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
Samaritans - 0800 726 666
Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
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