Carmen Tarleton’s Remarkable Fight to Keep Her Transplanted Face—and Her Hope Alive

Carmen Tarleton has endured extraordinary challenges throughout her life. In 2007, her estranged husband attacked her with a bottle of lye, leaving her face unrecognizable and burning 85% of her body. For years afterward, she lived with constant pain, especially in her neck and face, as the skin grafts grew increasingly tight.

Then, on Valentine’s Day six years ago, the former transplant nurse received the news she had long been waiting for: a donor had provided a full face and neck. After a complex surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, however, her body began rejecting the transplant. Doctors struggled to stop the rejection. With little time left, they tried a small dose of an anti-rejection medication as a final option. The treatment worked—the rejection stopped, and Tarleton began to heal.

For the first time in years, she was able to live a life mostly free of constant pain, though occasional issues remained.

Now 51, Tarleton has spent the last six years rebuilding the life she once feared she had lost. She has kissed her partner again, embraced being a hands-on grandmother, written a book, led an organ donation float in the Rose Parade, delivered talks on resilience, and even learned to play the banjo.

Still, medical complications have surfaced along the way. Tarleton experienced several episodes of rejection, all successfully managed. She lost her vision last November, largely due to injuries from the original attack.

Like all transplanted organs, Tarleton’s face and neck were only expected to last a limited number of years. She anticipated 10 to 12 years. But at the beginning of August, she suddenly felt a type of pain she had never experienced before. Her face swelled and blistered.

Doctors discovered that the deeper blood vessels supplying her face were no longer circulating blood properly. The tissue was deteriorating from the poor blood flow. Tarleton explained that her lips no longer meet, she has lost some transplanted hair and eyebrows, and part of her left nostril is gone.

Yet she has never lost the hope that initially led her to pursue a face transplant.

“They expected it to last 10 to 12 years, but I made it to seven—which is actually impressive,” Tarleton told CNN by phone from her boyfriend’s home in Vermont. “It’s just one step in the process. I always stay positive. When I think about everything they’ve learned, and all the unknown challenges they’ve faced with me… I pause and think, ‘This is actually pretty good.’”

Tarleton hopes to maintain her current face as long as possible, or at least keep it until another donor becomes available. “That’s what I’m hoping for—unless something terrible happens.”

If that occurs, doctors may have to resort to skin grafts again.

“I signed up for this, and I don’t dwell on the consequences. I have no regrets.” She added, “I know I need to focus on moving forward. It’s been a hard year, and I’ve had low moments. Sometimes the pain causes that. But overall, I’m healthy,” she said with a laugh.

More than 40 people worldwide have received face transplants—about 15 of them in the United States. According to a statement from the hospital to CNN, doctors are still determining the next steps for Tarleton, “with hope that the wounds will heal.” Another possibility is reevaluating her for a second face transplant.

Dr. Brian Gastman, a plastic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic who has worked on three face transplants, told CNN that because the field is still young, “there’s no guarantee how long a face will last.” One of his patients, Connie Culp, still has the transplanted face she received 11 years ago.

Gastman noted that future advancements in immunosuppressive therapies may transform the outlook for transplant patients.

Every two weeks, Tarleton travels alone to Boston for her hospital visits.

“I’m the most optimistic person—even when it’s hard.” She added, “I still have so much to do. I want to learn the guitar. I have grandchildren. I want to be here. I’m not ready to give up.”