In 2018, Katie Stubblefield’s story was told everywhere in the world. At age 21, the Mississippi resident was the youngest person in the United States to get a face transplant and the 40th person in the world to do so.
National Geographic just showed an episode about her incredible journey of resilience as she went through the procedure. But when Katie was in high school in Mississippi, she was a star student and a promising athlete who wanted to go to college.
No one would have thought that she would try to kill herself and that the attempt, which failed, would change her life so much. How she looks before and after.
Katie Stubblefield And Her Inspiring Story
Katie’s father, Robb Stubblefield, stated in an interview with ABC that as a high schooler, Katie was driven for a purpose. She started playing soccer as a child at the age of four. Katie’s life took a perilous detour near the end of high school, amid the stress of graduating and applying to colleges.
Katie was having a stressful year in her senior year of high school. The high school senior was experiencing health issues as a result of an appendectomy. Unfortunately, both of Katie’s parents had lost their jobs as high school teachers. Katie’s boyfriend then ended their relationship on March 25, 2014.
According to the report, an enraged Katie left school early and drove over to her older brother Robert’s house. Robert immediately notified Katie’s mother, Alesia, that her daughter was absent from school.
As Alesia approached, Robert heard what sounded like a door slamming. When they entered the house, the bathroom door was closed, and Katie was on the other side.
Stubblefield was only 18 when she put the barrel of her brother’s 308-caliber hunting rifle under her chin and pulled the trigger. She lived, but she lost her face because of the injury.
Katie Stubblefield Before and After
Katie didn’t open the door, but the smell of gun powder spread quickly. Katie had taken her brother’s hunting rifle, placed it under her chin, and pulled the trigger in a fit of rage. Katie’s family believed she had died until paramedics arrived and stated that they had detected a pulse. Katie was rushed to the hospital.
While the 18-year-old’s life was saved after a series of 17 surgeries to reconstruct her face, it took another three years for her to be ready for a transplant, making her the youngest person in the United States at the age of 21.
Adrea Schneider, a 31-year-old single mother who struggled with addiction and died of an overdose, was Katie’s face donor. Schneider was raised by her grandmother, Sandra Bennington, who was forced to make the difficult decision to donate her face.
Katie finally had her new face after 31 hours on the operating table, with surgeons working on joining the intricate nerve endings and restoring blood vessels. Her family soon paid her a visit to see their daughter’s new look for the first time.
Katie Naturally Spent A Significant Amount Of Time Healing Following Face Surgery. She had also entered rehab.
Who Was Her Face Transplant Donor?
Where Is Katie Stubblefield Now?
After her surgery, she had a lot of training in rehab to get her life as close to normal as possible. Katie said in an interview with Nightline that she felt whole again when she touched her face with her hand. She said she wanted her face back and would do whatever it took to get it.
Another report in Nightline says that Katie, who is now 23 years old, is still getting used to her new nose, lips, and outlook on life. Katie still can’t see well, but she is getting better.
As far as we know, the family is still living in the Ronald McDonald House. Katie’s parents, Rob and Alesia, are in charge of everything she does, from therapy to her medications to help her fight rejection.
They said on Nightline that Katie hasn’t lost her sense of humor, even though she’s been through a lot. At the moment, the young woman doesn’t have a presence on social media.
Read More
- Kylie Jenner Before And After Plastic Surgery: Full Transformation Journey
- Michael Jackson’s Before And After Plastic Surgery Nose Jobs, Face And Skin Tone