Victim of Lye Attack Carmen Blandin gets Face Transplant

Carmen Blandin Tarleton never dreamt that her life would take an ugly twist and leave her scarred for the rest of her days.

The mishap that occurred on June 10, 2007, had left her burned and blinded. She was left disfigured by her estranged husband Hebert Rodgers, who doused her with industrial-strength lye.

But she is blessed as she has finally received a complete face transplant at the Boston hospital.

A team of doctors led by Dr. Bohdan Pomahac at the Brigham and Women's Hospital said at a news conference on Wednesday that the surgery included transplanting the female donor's facial skin to Tarleton's neck, lips and nose, along with facial muscles, arteries and nerves, reports The Huffington Post.

She mentions in her blog on Wednesday: "I know how truly blessed I am, and will have such a nice reflection in the mirror to remind myself what selfless really is."

The hospital refused to release a current picture of Tarleton, who was absent for the press meet.

It was a 15-hour operation that included more than 30 physicians and other medical personnel. The fifth full facial transplant at the hospital, it was said to be the most complex one.

Rodger pleaded guilty to maiming her in exchange for a prison sentence of 30 years minimum. He tortured his wife as he suspected her for seeing another man. On the day of attack, he fractured her arm and damaged one of the eye sockets.

The chemicals burnt 80 percent of her body and she was not expected to survive. She was put on medically induced coma. Since then, she has undergone more than 50 surgeries.