Second Face Transplant for Domestic Abuse Survivor, First Person to Undergo Such Surgery

Carmen Tarleton, a domestic abuse survivor, is currently recovering from her second face transplant operation seven months ago, following her body's rejection of the first surgery in 2013.

TODAY reported a "15-minute period back in 2007" changed the life of Tarleton when her ex-husband broke into her home. Using a baseball bat, he hit her and sprayed her using a chemical called lye. Now, she is the first American to get a second face transplant.

In an exclusive interview with the news organization, Tarleton shared her journey to recovery as seen on the media outfit's YouTube video. Her ex-husband's attack left Tarleton badly scarred, blind in one of her eyes and "legally blind in the other," as specified in the said report.

The domestic abuse survivor said that her first face transplant took place in 2013 when the procedure was relatively new. She added that it lasted seven years, but her body started rejecting it gradually.

First and Second Face Transplants

When her first face transplant failed, she continued during the interview, "I basically went back to looking disfigured." As such, Tarleton said she didn't have any eyelids anymore and she lost her lips.

Tarleton's decision to undergo the process again, she told her interviewer, in which she incidentally has had more than 70 reconstructive surgeries in all, was an easy one.

The former nurse said that she told her doctor that if she were a candidate, she wanted another chance to have surgery.

The second surgery took a 40-member team at Boston-based Brigham and Woman's Hospital around 20 hours over two days.

Luckily, it was less dangerous compared to the first one as her immune system was less sensitive that second time around.

It was still a challenge though, said Dr. Bohdan Pohamac, Tarleton's plastic surgeon who has been treating her since the time she was airlifted to the hospital more than 10 years ago. Worries about a probable rejection were there again.

Donor for the Second Surgery

The donor for the second surgery of Tarleton was a woman identified as Casey Harringon Labrie, who reportedly battled heroin addiction and died in July this year, at age 36, due to "fentanyl overdose."

The plastic surgeon said, they were incredibly fortunate "and found by pure luck a donor that had" many characteristics common with the own body of Carmen, something that anyone "would hope for a sibling to have."

Before she died, Harrington Labrie told Bobbie Sue Harrington, her sister-in-law, she wanted to be an organ donor. Her organs, the sister-in-law said, already saved five lives although her family was at first hesitant about having her face donated.

Tarleton got the chance to meet her donor's family via a video chat on Today. Harrington Labrie's mom told her she has her daughter's "birthmark, hairline and the eye line."

Tarleton, for her part, told the family, in the most trying time, "you gave me the biggest gift anybody could have given me."

Now, after seven months, following her second transplant, Tartleton said during the interview that she is very happy, elaborating that all parts of her face are a donation except for one ear.

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