Coping with our daughter's new face - BBC News

I'm going through a terrible breakup now with intermittent suicidal tendencies. This video has opened my eyes. Life is too precious! I hope she gets all the strength to carry on life. 💙💙💙

If you’re a struggling teenager, please believe me that in five years those problems will mean so little to you that you’ll barely remember them.

My cousin sadly made the same decision as Katie. He survived and underwent a lot of facial reconstruction surgeries. He struggled with addiction and eventually died of overdose. In between relapses he blessed us with his soul though. He could make anyone laugh and just had a way of making friends with everyone. Miss him very much.

My father lost part of his face (chin, mouth and part of the nose) in world war II, when he was 25 years old. After a dozend chirurgical reconstructions in Vienna university hospital he met my mother and they had three children, one of them is me. I never thought of my father as a unnormal looking person, because I couldn't imagine him looking different than I was used to. I loved him so much, because he was the most loving and caring father and an most inspiring and supporting teacher and head of school. He was a wonderful grandfather for my three kids, and he finally died at the age of 94. Me and all his family and friends still miss him so much. Please darling, don't look back! Look forward to all the love and joy and fun, that is still going to happen to you - and look forward to all the positive inspirations and feelings you will give to other people. Hope you live and love your life!

I tried taking my life in 2010 and they they actually lost me for a minute. When they resuscitated me and I remember at the time being so angry that they didn’t just let me die. I ended up in ICU and hospitalized for almost a month. At that time I truly did not want to be here because the pain I was In Was so unbearable that I didn’t think that it would ever go away. I’m so glad the paramedics saved me. To this day I wish I could track them down and thank them. And every day I’m so grateful to be here. Things can get better. I’m 40 now and I’m probably the happiest And healthiest I’ve ever been in my life and I’m doing all the things that I love that I put off for years due to depression.. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Don’t ever give up!. It might not seem like it in the moment, but it will get better❤️ life’s a rollercoaster full of ups and downs. But it’s beautiful.

She truly was a beautiful woman. This is a heartbreaking story.

When she said "lifes is a gift, a wonderful tremendous gift", her mom didnt look convinced. Her mom is clearly affected by having her daughter change faces 3 times in her short life. PTSD, suicide and attempts have a ripple effect. I'm glad she is alive because she wants to be alive, that's clear. I hope her dreams come true. I hope her mom finds some peace too.

How ironic that one girl had to die to save another girl who tried to kill herself. Such an awful and sad story. Rest in peace, Andrea.

The way she jumped when her mother clapped her hands was heartbreaking 🥺

Depression is no joke, stop judging her, you can never imagine the amount of pain going on inside one's head, constant and with hopelessness, it leaves you with a strange feeling that screams in your head that you're unloved, not worthy, have no future and it makes you anxious constantly and any time it roars high and suddenly changes your thoughts from normal to extreme that then can change your determined decesions into hopelessness, life will be never like before and you constantly blame yourself for everything, you get triggered by tiny thoughts literally anytime and you won't be able to do things in which you were very good/best, and you can't think clearly, your thought process changes and literally everything changes EVERYTHING, so stop judging her, you don't know what it's like to be depressed.
And it can happen to ANYONE!

My heart breaks for her, her family and for the life lost of the young facial donor. Depression is real, feeling so hopeless you point a gun at your face and pull the trigger, is no small things nor is it “easy”. Life is more complex than that; let’s not judge what we don’t know (someone else’s story and struggle). Nobody “deserves” this.

Let me just say this as a mature (old) person who's lived through all sorts of these types of disappointments of all kinds....I can say with 100% certainty that I am seriously GLAD the relationships that didn't "work out"...did not "work out"! It may take years to arrive at that conclusion but I can 100% say I am better off that they did NOT! I have become a much stronger person for living without them and becoming the strong person I am! Onward and upward! Slough it off and move on! You're more important than any one person's attention or letting their rejection or meanness or lack of desire for you push you to destroying your precious life...and it is precious! So don't blow it...you may not get that second chance!

This is one of the most heart wrenching stories ive ever heard, When I was in my early 20s I broke up with my girlfriend and was depressed to the point of ending it and as a gun owner im really glad I reconsidered because there devistating and theres no coming back from it, This young womans strength and determination to go on after is remarkable and makes a person realize just how good life actually is inspite the difficulties. I wish for all the best for Katie and her family

I just ran across this story. I had never heard it before. As a survivor of a suicide attempt my heart breaks for this girl. My wounds are inside and the world can’t see them. I have lasting brain damage and must live my life with this as a consequence to my actions. I can’t imagine what it must be like for Katie having scars on the outside that the world can clearly see. I’m glad you got a second chance at life Katie. If anyone out there needs to hear it. Life is precious. Reach out for help if you are struggling. So many people don’t get a second chance to live. God bless this girl for sharing her story.

The mom is so brutally Honest and I Respect her for that. I don't know how I would be if a family member had a new face, it would be like the twilight zone. I have much Respect for this young girl!!

Love your honesty and determination! You go sweet girl, you can do it! Praying and rooting for you.

Quite a shocking story. What the surgeons did is astonishing. Hard to put anyone through this video, but it could actually save lives of young people going through breakups.

She has an awesome sense of humor, and I'm so glad she had the opportunity to take part of her life back. I hope her and her family are doing well today.

This video made me realise how we all seem to underappreciate the actual functions a face has. When we see a face, we just tend to judge wether it is pretty or not, forgetting about the important purpose it serves: breathing, eating, drinking, speaking, seeing, smelling, expressing emotions, ... all of that is impaired for Katie now, despite having a transplant.

I’ve tried to commit suicide 3 times and one of the times successfully did but I woke up out of a coma 3 days later and just cried because I was still here. I’m just so alone beside myself. I’m happy she got a second chance

Surgeons did an amazing job on her face !! God bless her and her family 💕

People who are commenting that she's still beautiful are just plain evils in sheepskin.
She's not a three legged shelter dog that needs your pity.
What matters is that she's being loved and she values life like never before. She can do many amazing things in life and I'm sure she accepted that her beauty has gone forever.
You don't have to look beautiful to be a wonderful human being and live a happy life.

I just burst to tears what a strong woman good luck to her 😭❤ and her loving family

Let's not forget the young lady who died from an overdose, she is the reason she has a face today. Praying for both of their families. This is heartbreaking.

She has the most supporting ppl in her life & that’s her parents. ❤️No breakup is worth losing your life girls. Stay strong. You’re amazing! Focus on the positives.

I had the pleasure of working with this family when I was an employee at Cleveland Clinic. I'm glad they're doing well, but it was shocking to say the least when seeing her back then. God bless.

Her father speaks so deeply with such meaning

Her parents seem like lovely people. This girl is blessed

The doctors did such a wonderful job reconstructing her face.

As bad as things were as a child I'm glad my dad told us the truth about males, relationships, I even learned because of how bad he treated my mom...this did save me in that area of life

This proves that, no matter whatever the hell you go through in life, the two people who will never leave you and always be by your side are your dad and mom. So always love & respect them, no one matters more than your family. 🥺🥺💖❤️💖

Such a pretty and vivacious young girl. I'm sure she appreciates life on a spiritually different level than many of us.

Her parents are fantastic and you can tell they support her. I hope they can all find peace ❤️

See at the end of the day, whos there for you? Its always your parents...not your friends, not your boyfriend or girlfriend, you family is there to help you. Respect them and be greatful for them

She sounds like a very sweet girl ❤ best of wishes to her on her healing journey

Amazing ! Katy you have such a positive attitude I am sure you will accomplish everything you set out to do. I love how your family is right there pulling for you too, you can never have too much positive support. Best wishes on your future endeavours

Her family are very supportive makes me wanna cry

What a wonderful supportive family. I'm wishing Katie and her family all the best.

She was soooooo beautiful , no boy is worth hurting yourself like this for , lovely parents who love her unconditionally.

I thought this was from a car accident or something. Didn’t know it would be a suicide survival story 😓 I didn’t expect to cry and feel so deeply about this. 💕I’m happy she found solace in her life despite what she’s been through! 🙏🏽

I pray she has a good life. People look different when older also and can still have a good life. God bless her!

Love her so much. Brave and strong. You are already helping people understand the beauty that life gives us. Amazing family and doctors.

I’m so glad this girl got a second chance at life. I’ve been in hospitals for various mental health problems since 2016 and recently I pushed mirror into my brain but I survived and it’s hard to come to terms with it but stories like this girls inspire me because hopefully things will eventually get better

The scary part of attempting suicide is surviving it. Then having to live with such horrific consequences.

Read this article in Times magazine. Pretty traumatic. My heart goes out to the young girl and her family. They also spoke of other face transplant recipients - thank goodness for specialists and organ donners.💕

God love this special life and her family. I hope one day she will find love and have a family of her own. She lost her original face, but gained a new world. Good luck with it Katie!

Wishing the best for Katie and her family. Continue creating beautiful memories together.

This is heart breaking, but life shouldn't be worth taking over 1 boy.

Congrats to the doctors. It's unbelievable what they can do.

I've always been a reflective and emotional person and I've kept a journal for decades. It fascinates me now, in my 30s, to read back on things I had written that were so critical and essential to me at that time and now, are barely memories-often, not memories at all, but things I don't recall. Whatever you are going through, please do not to make permanent choices about momentary emotions. Life has a way of working itself out, and every thing that goes "wrong" is actually a necessary branch on the path to a beautiful future you don't even know of yet.

Was depressed when I was 19 and now I'm 23 and realized we really go through the process of questioning, seeking and confusion. Feels nothing now. Everything's gonna be okay youngsters. Overcome.

God bless her. Hope she finds happiness in life.

When she said "this is like the beginning of another chapter" , it gave me literal chills knowing its going to be hard for her to live like that from thereon. 😢

Wow speechless. Such a tragic story for a beautiful young lady.

Poor lady, I hope she’s doing better now ❤️

What a sweet soul, God Bless her, her family and all those who made this possible. Turned such a hopeless, tragic situation into something positive and hopeful. Thank you for sharing this video with the world. Keep going Katie, you definitely are an inspiration!

Life is such a wonderful tremendous gift!! Peace and strength sent to you and your family

Let's not forget the fantastic work the hospitals, nurses, surgeons have done for this poor girl. Also the donor without her gift this would not have been possible ❤

It's _amazing_ how speech therapists help people like Katie develop ways to compensate for vowels and consonants traditionally formed with the tongue and teeth in order to make speech understandable. For example, Katie learned that blowing air through pressed lips or through the nose could form an "s" sound. Speech therapy is one hell of a job, especially for serious cases like this.

I absolutely love her fighting spirit!! This is also exceptional beauty that is rarely found in people in general 💥💯❤
Blessings and light on your journey 🤎🤞🏾🤲🏾✊🏾

Hang in there, Katie. It was a mistake, no dispute. You are a beautiful soul.

Stay strong. It's almost unfathomable to think of the strength you had to forgive yourself then accept yourself with your whole life changed. Just wow. You're amazing.

Lately I’ve been struggling a lot with relationships. Being a teenager is super hard, even harder during this pandemic. I have struggled with self harm for nearly 2 years now, on and off. Watching this video opened my eyes to how useless hurting myself over a temporary problem is. If someone hurts you, it’s unfair to hurt yourself over it. I know it can even be on impulse, like how it was with Katie. To those out there would need help, I suggest you reach out to somebody you love. It doesn’t have to be your parents, just someone who can guide you in the right direction. I love you all.

When her mum clapped, while she was explaining the story, that poor girl jumped and was so scared of the noise, it was heart breaking, such a horribly sad story

What a tragedy. So young. So beautiful. One impulse moment can have such devastating consequences forever more.

She remind me of myself when i faced my first breakup i almost lost my life. The pain really does overwhelms oneself. Its amazing that no school or mentor teach the young minds how to tackle those feelings. There should be whole subject for personal relationships which could save the youth from wasting years or losing something valuable just because of a break up.

I understand her feelings, being a teenager is very hard because your feelings are intensified so much! Things seem so much larger than they truly are. A relationship could truly break you. If you break up with someone or vise versa, it could feel like the end of the world. I felt like that. Now I’m 50 now, but I do remember. I have 2 children and I worry for them, their now entering that faze. I just hope they understand that it’s not that bad, there are many others that would and will love you. It’s hard to tell someone that, when my father told me that, I didn’t believe him, but after that heartache, I found a new love, actually several new loves. And she’s right life is a gift.

She looks amazing considering the impact, amazing what people can do nowadays.

“Life is a gift, a tremendous gift.”
She is so correct.

Yes its the whole case of Katie, we all can learn from someone in this life. Its so precious. Don't surrender it to any impulse decision.

See how fragile your children can be, when all seems well. This is heartbreaking.

I can only imagine how heartbreaking this is. I do have hope, though, that the techniques for this procedure will get better and better.

I have been following her story since it has happened & it did get me out of a dark place feeling like I wanted to end it all I hope she achieves her goals ❤❤
So many arguments about physical beauty in the comments
Beauty is subjective.. She was stunning before the incident but as far as having a dream of getting married & such their are people who still will find her new face physically attractive
As I have struggled with self esteem issues all my life & feeling "ugly" I believe there is beauty in everyone & every woman deserves to feel beautiful

I've been battling with depression and suicidal thoughts for years. I even lost my brother to suicide. It seems surreal to me that someone would attempt to take their life so impulsively and over a break up. If she had successfully taken her life, there would have been a young man who would have to carry that guilt for the rest of his life. Heck, he probably carries that guilt now over what she did to herself.
I do hope that she can go to college and have a happy life. I hope that teens everywhere will watch this and realise not to act so impulsively.

Strong woman. I applaud her desire to keep going..having plans and hopes for a future and cherishing life.

she went from being a gorgeous young lady to literally creating her own personal hell on earth due to a millisecond decision to pull that trigger...

There's a lot to learn from Katie's story, her Mom's statement.

RIP to Katie’s donor Adra. I am sorry she is gone but will never be forgotten. Katie stay strong and keep fighting. You are so lucky to have such amazing parents and siblings. I wish you all the best.

I just- I could never. I can’t imagine why Katie thought her life was so bad that the only way to escape it was killing herself. I can just never imagine what someone is going through when they are thinking that is the only option. Good thoughts go out to Katie and her family.

best wishes to her and her family

This is so sad to me. I am happy she gets to live her life though. What a strong woman.

I was also heart broken by a relationship,i had suicidal thoughts.This gives me a message to live life appreciating what ever we have at the moment..may god bless Katty..she is such a brave soul..
yess life is a tremendous gift..☯️🤍

Our bodies are temporary . Our souls are who we are.

You are a strong woman Katie, I wish you a happy life and prosperity

This is why you should never make permanent decisions off temporary feelings

Doctors did such a great job, I hope positivity spreads to every corner of this beautiful earth that no one try to look in this way again

May God bless you and your family Katie. You’re beautiful in and out.

Massive credit to the surgeons who helped her have a second chance

A powerful lesson to learn in one's life. Painful too to the parents 💔. She didn't think the people she'd hurt. Parents need to teach kids about selfishness and controlling emotions.

I love how people claim it’s selfish being a survivor myself, surviving a self inflicted gunshot wound and going through multiple reconstructive surgeries myself, instead criticizing and calling people selfish, see beauty in the fact she fought hard to survive and thrive to live a better life. I get the whole oh you’re selfish mindset but most of us felt our loved ones would be better off without us. I’m glad to hear she’s happy to be alive, I know I was. Instead creating stigma around depression we should be finding ways so people feel that that’s not the answer. I think it’s not very productive trying to put someone down for a choice that ultimately could’ve ended tragically. I can tell you it’s something not easily made, I contemplated suicide for a very, very long time before deciding to pull the trigger. I’m glad to see other survivors thriving much like myself.

Katie is one of the few who truly understand what living is about, and if her accident brought her to that knowing then it was worth it. Katie is an angel, and through God all things are possible. 🥰

My heart goes out to her totally such a sad story 😭

She has a good family. Her parents are supportive.

My goodness. We really need to teach kids how to handle emotions. Specially loss and rejection.

Incredible!!! Medicine is such a blessing.

her story breaks my heart. Thank god she's ok and breathing.

Gosh she was stunning, I’m so sad for her.

Shoutout to those parents for not letting go of their daughter. I watched the full documentary about her when it first came out several weeks ago and I was very moved by the strength and solidarity this family had shown throughout the entire journey leading up to Katy's face transplant. I would like to thank the donor's grand-ma for granting Katy her granddaughter's face and a new chance in life. This story, although painful, is a story of hope. Life is never over as long as we're alive.

Just having a loving family like that is reason enough for anyone to be alive....

"Life is worth living. Life is a gift, a wonderful tremendous gift " This is what she said in the end of the video. I only wish she had realized it sooner. 🙏