Youngest face transplant survivor: “People don’t look at me like I’m a monster any more”
Katie Stubblefield is the youngest person in the world to have had a pioneering face transplant after surviving a suicide attempt at the age of 18
hen Katie Stubblefield W suffered unimaginable injuries after shooting herself in the face with a hunting rifle, her life changed forever. The then 18-year-old was left severely disfigured, unable to chew, swallow or even breathe on her own after the failed suicide attempt.
After 24 surgeries over four years, last year Katie became the youngest person in the world to have a full face transplant and is finally ready to live life to the full.
Katie, 22, said, “I’m just very thankful to be alive. The face transplant has given me a second chance at life.
“This is like a new beginning or another chapter. I’m definitely smiling more and I feel now that this is my face.”
In the lead-up to that fateful day in March 2014, Katie was overcoming a number of difficulties in her life. Both of her parents had been made redundant and she was suffering from the ill-effects of several severe health problems – including having her appendix and gallbladder removed, alongside digestive issues.
HELPLESS
Katie’s relationship with her then-boyfriend had also broken down after she saw texts messages from another woman on his phone. Feeling completely helpless, Katie drove to her brother Robert’s house and, later that evening, went to his bathroom and shockingly shot herself under the chin using his hunting rifle.
Robert rushed upstairs when he heard the noise. And to his horror, discovered that his sister’s face “was gone”.
Surgeons raced to save Katie and patch up both her internal and external wounds – repairing her nose, nasal passage and jaw.
Over the next two years, she underwent dozens more operations and was constantly in and out of hospital and rehabilitation. Katie’s dad, Robb, said, “There were moments when it felt like a house of cards. But when you go through something like this, there’s not much you take for granted any more.”
Katie, from Mississippi, USA, was declared stable at the end of 2015 and placed on the transplant list in March 2016.
However, the family faced a tortuous wait while surgeons found the right donor.
Mum Alesia said, “There are so many different families who come and go [from the Cleveland Clinic], you always wonder when is it going to be my time to leave here?”
Then, in May 2017, Katie’s parents received a phone call telling them that a donor had been found – a single mum of one called Adrea Schneider, who had died of a drug overdose at the age of 31.
Her grandmother, Sandra Bennington, said, “Adrea was willing to donate her organs, so why wouldn’t she give her face? I thought about it, prayed about it and realised it was the right thing to do, so someone else could have a better life.”
Katie’s 31-hour transplant operation was overseen by 11 surgeons and involved replacing her face with new skin, nerves, blood vessels and bone from the donor, as well as rebuilding her scalp, nose, upper cheeks, upper jaw, forehead, eyelids, eye sockets and muscles – although Katie won’t look like Adrea because the face molds to her own bone structure. The surgeons even 3D-printed a lower jaw, modelled on Katie’s older sister’s jaw, that would account for 90 per cent of the final result.
CONFIDENCE
Dr Gastman, who was part of the surgical team, said, “She now has the opportunity to re-integrate into society and
❛I’M JUST VERY THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE. THE FACE TRANSPLANT HAS GIVEN ME A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE❜
have a future just like any other young adult.
“The surgery can give her back the self-esteem and confidence she lost. Given the situation, I am very happy with how she’s doing.”
Katie was discharged from hospital in August 2017 and is now on anti-rejection medication. She’s also had therapy to teach her how to walk, move, speak and read braille, as she is still blind.
Eleven months on from her operation, in April this year, Katie was finally able to close her eyes and even smile.
She said, “People don’t look at me like I’m a monster any more. I feel more comfortable with myself now.”
And not only is Katie hoping that her speech will improve, she is also planning on doing online courses, with the dream of qualifying as a counsellor and helping other suicide survivors.
Katie’s family have also become friends with Sandra – their donor’s grandmother – who they meet up with on a regular basis, although Adrea’s 15-yearold son still doesn’t know that his mother’s face was used.
However, they realise that so much still needs to happen for Katie to live a normal life. Alesia, said, “You don’t have a transplant and go back to living a normal life. It’s an exchange. It’s a different life and we have such a long way to go.”