On Tuesday, after months of being shielded in secrecy, the Harrison County woman was disclosed as being the first person to ever have a near-total face transplant in the United States.
In a 22-hour procedure performed at the Cleveland Clinic in December, surgeons transplanted 80 percent of Culp's face, essentially replacing her entire face, except for her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin.
Culp's life took its first drastic turn during an attempted murder-suicide outside the OK Corral in Hopedale, Ohio. Culp's husband Thomas, shot her in the face from just 8 feet way, then turned the gun on himself. Both survived.
Now, five years later, her life has changed once again. At a news conference Tuesday, Culp was ready to face the world.
"Well, I guess I'm the one you came to see today," Culp, of Hopedale, said. "While I know you all want to focus on me, I think it's more important to focus on the donor family that made it so I could get this Christmas present, I guess I should say."
Today, new nerves are growing beneath her new skin. She can eat, drink and breathe normally.
"This reinforces the concept that this is not cosmetic surgery in any sense of the word," said Dr. Eric Kodish, a bio-ethicist at the Cleveland Clinic.
While Culp could have survived with her injuries, doctors insist that repairing her disfigurement was crucial to her quality of life.
"Most devastating of all was the fact that society had rejected her. She was called names and children were afraid of her," said Dr. Maria Siemionow, director of plastic surgery.
Doctors predicted further progress as swelling subsides and they're able to tighten up the excess skin from the transplant.
To date, all of Culp's post-surgical treatment has happened within the few blocks of the Cleveland Clinic. But her surgeons said they have no problem with her returning home and said they're confident she can stay healthy and live a normal life.
Siemionow said she thinks there is enough home care available in Ohio to help Culp with basic daily activities, "but if there's something major happening, we are here and she knows that."
Surgeons at the clinic said the donor's family was notified that Culp would go public on Tuesday. The family has seen pictures of her new face and was touched by them, clinic officials said.
The donor's family has not yet met face-to-face with Culp, but clinic representatives said when the family is ready to do that, they will help make that happen.
Thomas Culp remains in jail and is expected to be released in 2012, when his 7-year sentence will be complete.
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