Facial transplant shown to the world

BOSTON

Carmen Blandin Tarleton was blinded and burned across 80 percent of her body in an attack. REUTERS photo

A woman who received a full facial transplant in February revealed her reconstructed face to the world on May 1,
New York Daily News reported today.

Carmen Blandin Tarleton, 44, from Thetford, Vt., was blinded and burned across 80 percent of her body in a vicious attack by her husband in 2007.

After undergoing more than 50 operations, she received a successful face transplant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

She thanked doctors, family and supporters at a press conference May 1. “I have been on this incredible journey for the last six years, and receiving this wonderful gift ends this chapter in my life. What a great way to move forward with what life has for me now,” Tarleton said.

“The donor and her family have given me a tremendous gift, making a significant difference in my quality of life at the daily level ... I am forever grateful for that.”

Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, director of plastic surgery transplantation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, called Tarleton’s injuries “some of the worst I’ve ever seen in my career.”

“She has certainly come a long way since then,” he added. “Carmen made such terrific progress because she is a fighter.