22-Year-Old Attempted-Suicide Survivor Is Youngest Person to Receive Face Transplant

When she was a teenager, Katie Stubblefield attempted suicide. But she survived shooting herself in the face. And now, at 22, she’s the youngest person to receive a face transplant. This is her remarkable story.

Katie Stubblefield was only 18 years old when she tried to commit suicide.

The impulsive decision was a result of the kind of emotional tragedy most teenagers will face at least once in their lives. But it left Katie without a nose, mouth, jaw, or forehead. In other words, without a face.

Growing up, Katie was outgoing, funny and intelligent.

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She had a sarcastic sense of humor, and she strived to achieve in every aspect of her life, academics and sports especially. But she was also a perfectionist, and her smile hid an overwhelming sense of insecurity.

When she was 17, her family moved to Oxford, Mississippi.

The family had already moved once before. It was a year prior, from Lakeland, Florida to Owensboro, Kentucky. In Oxford, Katie’s parents, Alesia and Robb, both took teaching positions at a small Christian school that she attended.

Katie soon met a boy.

She fell for him, and she fell hard. Before long, the two were talking about marriage. Katie’s parents assumed that because of the family’s two moves over such a short span of time, Katie was seeking out stability and consistency.