Throughout her life, Carmen Tarleton has encountered numerous difficulties. She was attacked by her estranged husband in 2007 with a bottle of lye, which left 85% of her body burned and her face unrecognizable. She endured years of pain, especially in her face and neck, as the skin grafts tightened.
Six years ago on Valentine’s Day, the former transplant nurse got the news she had been waiting for: a donor’s entire face and neck were available. But after a challenging procedure at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, her body began to reject the face. It was difficult for doctors to figure out how to halt it. As a final resort, doctors gave her a little dosage of an anti-rejection medication because time was running out. Tarleton was starting to recover, and the infection had stopped.
Though there were some problems, she lived a life that was largely free of pain.
Over the past six years, 51-year-old Tarleton has succeeded in her goal of kissing her boyfriend. She wrote a book, led an organ donation float in the Rose Parade, became an active grandmother, and delivered resilience talks. In fact, she picked up the banjo.
There have been some medical setbacks, though. Tarleton experienced rejection on numerous occasions, yet each time it was handled well. Mostly as a result of the initial attack, she lost her vision in November of last year.
Tarleton’s face and neck were predicted to have a short lifespan, similar to that of the majority of donated organs. Her face should last ten to twelve years, she thought. Around the beginning of August, though, Tarleton felt a discomfort she had never experienced before. Her face had blisters and was bloated.
The doctors discovered that Tarleton’s face was no longer receiving enough blood flow from the deep blood vessels. The restricted blood supply was causing the tissue to die. Tarleton claims that she has lost a portion of her left nostril, some of her transplanted hair and eyebrows, and her lips no longer join together.
But she has never given up on the dream that initially led her to seek a face transplant.
“I completed it in seven years, which is really impressive, whereas they were expecting it to take ten or twelve.” Tarleton called CNN from her Vermont home with her boyfriend. It is merely a phase in the procedure. I’m always optimistic about life. When I reflect on what they have learned and the unidentified difficulties they have encountered with me… I simply stopped to say, “This is really quite good.”
According to Tarleton, she hopes to be able to preserve her current appearance, or at the very least, hold onto it until a replacement is found. “Unless something horrible occurs, that’s what I’m hoping for.”
They could have to resort to grafts once more in such a scenario.
“I didn’t consider the repercussions when I signed up for this. I don’t regret anything. I realize that I have to focus on moving forward. This year has been challenging for me, and I have had some low points. I feel like way sometimes because of pain. Then Tarleton said loudly, laughing at the end, “But all in all, I’m healthy.” Face transplants have been performed on over 40 people worldwide, with about 15 of those operations occurring in the US. Doctors are still deciding what to do about Tarleton, “with hope that the wounds will heal,” the hospital said CNN in a statement. Other options consist of maybe undergoing a second evaluation for a face transplant
As the field is still relatively new, “there’s no guarantee on how long a face will last,” said Dr. Brian Gastman, a plastic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic who has performed three face transplants, in an interview with CNN. He has a patient named Connie Culp who, eleven years after receiving a face transplant, is still wearing it.
Future developments in immune-suppressive drugs will change how transplants are carried out, according to Gastman.
Every two weeks, Tarleton travels alone to the Boston hospital.
“Despite the difficulties, I am the most optimistic person.” I have a lot of work ahead of me. Since I have grandchildren, I would like to learn how to play the guitar. I’d like to be there. “I don’t feel ready to redeem it.”
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