Don't judge when you see a disfigured face. You may never know what happened to them!

Forty six-year-old Connie Culp of Ohio was shot in a devastating shooting incident in 2004. It left her physically disfigured, mentally scarred and physiologically unable to breathe, smell or eat. We cannot even imagine her agony, her pain, the torturous survival which wouldn’t have been any lesser than a living curse bestowed upon her soul perhaps for life.

But thanks to advancements in the medical technology, she was the first ever U.S patient to go through face transplant in December 2008. The surgery was risky and lengthy. It spanned 23 hours and took place over a period of two days at the Cleveland Clinic. This face-transplant surgery garnered wide-spread media attention shortly after it was completed but the identity of the patient was strictly kept confidential.

Yesterday on 5th May 2009, her identity was released as Ms. Connie Culp stepped in front of the press conference and was introduced to reporters for the first time after the hall-mark surgery. "Well, I guess I'm the one you came to see today," said Ms. Culp at the press- conference. "While I know you all want to focus on me, I think it's more important you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this Christmas present, I guess I should say."

Culp required major surgery for injuries she sustained when she was shot in the face. That horrendous episode left her with complete face disfigurement. Now, she has lips, a nose and eyelids. One thing that Culp said during the press conference touched my heart deeply. She said that when you see somebody has a disfigurement and don’t look as pretty as you do, do not judge them, because you never know what happened to them.

At one time, she was as pretty as any one of us. She had just the same pair of eyes, a nose and lips as we have but then she lost everything. We never tire off expressing our dissatisfaction with our features. "I have small eyes", "My nose is fat", "I don't like my feet" are just some of our usual complains. Never do we think for once how blessed we are to have all the features like any normal human being.

This one news opened up my eyes to how thankless I have been for being blessed with a normal face with all features intact. Such are the instances when realization is struck, of the blessings we have and petty wishes that we cry for like babies.

I post this news today to spread this brave woman's message to all of us, blessed. Please respect those who have disfigurements and disabilities, treat them nicely and do not ever judge them. For you and I don't know what atrocities and mishaps of life they might have gone through.