Coping with our daughter's new face - BBC News

Katy's always been a deep soul Katy was a deep soul when she was a young kid she started playing soccer when she was about four years old and she was a very aggressive soccer player take a while for her to warm up to people but once she did they were they were best buddies it's probably very difficult for you to think about and to talk about back to when you were 18 what was like when I got to Robert's house she was sitting in a big fluffy chair with her legs over it and she was texting and I went over to her and I said how you doing and she just kind of shrugged her shoulders like a teenager sometimes will and I didn't feel an alarm I just felt like my girl had gotten hurt I remember, we were walking out and we heard this and I got it loud but then I walked in and I looked in the chair and she wasn't in the chair didn't get alarmed then I walked to the kitchen looked went on his back patio little porch No and I saw the bathroom door shut twisted the door and I said Katie you okay and she didn't answer my son picks me up and takes me through the living room outside in the yard and and just stands me there and says mom Katie got my gun and I don't know she's hurt she'll never eat she'll never drink she'll never bathe herself she'll never converse she'll be a vegetable she'll just be in a skilled facility for the rest of her life as I said I'm not ready to let go my daughter I just not you know I mean you don't in that moment you think you're gonna have the great courage and stamina but you're just as feeble as a feather in the wind your heart is in your throat but yet out of the depths of your of your gut your soul your heart no your we're not going to let go Was that a big decision to make? I think I was trying to look for old characteristics if I could see anything from the pre-accident Katie of the pre-injury I don't think I did it was very surreal I remember thinking where is Katie you know at the same time so grateful that she's alive and so grateful that she didn't have to walk around the rest of her life without a face but it was hard I I grieved her old face a lot I have to be honest Katie do you still think about and long for the things that you wanted when you were 18 like to meet someone and fall in love and I can see you smiling now Of course this is not the story I would have written for her.. but I feel like there's a reason if she's here there's a lot to learn there's a lot in this whole story with Katie but I don't think her life is over you

Channel: BBC News

Views: 9,568,817

Keywords: bbc, bbc news, news, Katie Stubblefield, doc, documentary, bbc documentary, new face, face transplant, transplant, face, face surgery, cosmetic surgery, recovery, inspiration, inspirational story, life with a new face, second chance, cleveland clinic

Id: 3VHTquIQBBo

Length: 8min 2sec (482 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 09 2018