Face transplant surgery now has a 2nd accomplishment. For the second time this year, news of a successful face transplant surgery has been announced. When Connie Culp was shot by her husband in 2004, her life transformed. But it wasnt just her outlook that changed. This month, Culp emerged from the Cleveland Clinic with a new face. After undergoing extensive facial procedures to rebuild her damaged skull, Culp became the second person in the U.S. to receive a full facial transplant. The primary surgery took place in 2008, and since then her surgeons have performed complicated cosmetic procedures to tighten the skin after the transplant. She received her final surgical procedure in July.In an interview with ABC World News, Culp, 47, said that she is overjoyed to appear normal again. Nobody pays attention to me, she said. Just another person on the street.Six years ago, her husband, Thomas Culp, shot her in the face with a shotgun. The blast destroyed 80 percent of Connies face, leaving her nose and cheeks obliterated. She also lost the sight of one eye.Culps husband was sentenced to seven years in prison and is currently up for parole. Astonishingly, she maintains that she still loves him despite the attack, although she is going forward with divorce proceedings and ready to move on with her life."I spent six years thinking about it, she told Diane Sawyer at ABC World News. And you know what? Now, it's a new beginning. I have a new face. I'm a new me." Culp has plenty to smile aboutliterally. The nerves in her face are regrowing at the rate of one inch per month, enhancing facial sensation and her ability to smile. "I am so thankful, said Culp. I don't care what religion anybody is. We all have a god, and He's great. I'm lucky, cause a lot of people love me."
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