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When she was 16 years old, a shotgun blast to the face cost Chrissy Steltz her eyes and nose. She was hanging out with her high school friends at the apartment where she lived with her boyfriend at the time. Someone picked up a stolen shotgun, one of 15 firearms Chrissy helped her friends to steal two weeks earlier. Chrissy says she remembers telling him to put it down "before you kill someone." The last thing she remembers was the response, "It's not loaded." But it was. Somehow, the gun went off, bombarding Chrissy with birdshot. When she woke up in the hospital, her life had changed forever.
Chrissy was not charged in connection with the burglary. Though she drove her friends and the stolen guns away from the scene, prosecutors decided she had suffered enough. She finished high school and is proud to say she graduated on time. She says the accident that severely disfigured her also set her on a better path in life.
A decade after the accident, Chrissy is a new mom and she has a new face made of silicone and acrylic.
Has your life been affected by a major trauma? How did you heal? Has an accident left you, or someone you know, disabled or disfigured? What life-changing lessons did you learn? What do you want to ask Chrissy Steltz about her life since the accident?
GUESTS:
- Chrissy Steltz
- Eric Dierks: Oral and maxillo facial surgeon at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center
Tagged as: disability rights · guns · safety · shooting
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Above
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A year ago, my then 19-year-old daughter fell off her bike, drunk, and knocked out her two front teeth. Clearly, not in any way close to losing most of her face. However, just that small disfigurement felt enormous to me. I wanted that part of her back. It was emotionally intense for me - maybe more for me than for her even? I can't imagine if it was as serious as for Chrissy in which the damage is so serious and can't be fixed as easily as screwing in a couple of new teeth, which in itself felt like a long process at the time. I wonder if it was more traumatic for her mom than it was for her, as it sounds like she took it in stride? (And let me say my daughter and I also had a relationship fraught with turmoil.) I'm very impressed with Chrissy's bravery.
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It is hard to reconcile, and terribly frustrating, that physical life is inherently inequitable. That some people are incredibly attractive and others just aren’t. Yes, on a individual level beauty is personal, but collectively, or statistically it isn’t. In some ways having your physical identity removed, seems like it would force you to focus on who you are intellectually. As terrible as it would be, it must truly change your perspective, and how you approach the outside and inside world. Sometimes it seems like the world would be a better place if we all wore a mask---like a school uniform it might level the playing field.
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This is all very new to me
Aspartame
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My partner was shot in the back at the age of 13 and paralyzed for life. He has published a moving memoir about his recovery. His optimism and charm for life is very similar to Chrissy, and I encourage listeners to read Dear Marcus: Speaking to the Man Who Shot Me by Jerry McGill. http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Marcus-Speaking-Man-Shot/dp/1440155496
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I want to thank Chrissy for her poise and grace and courage. What a lovely spokesperson for those who are facing lifechanging events! I am truly enjoying the fact that I can hear her on the radio on HER terms - as a voice only, so I am not fighting with my natural human curiosity to SEE the physical differences, as most of us who still rely primarily on visual cues will do. I can truly SEE who she is in this way! How about a career in radio for such a well-spoken young woman, OPB? Got a place for such a talented woman as a volunteer? Kudos also for the natural way she chose to unveil her new face to her child in a safe, comfortable environment, putting her child's needs above the drama so many of us would be attempted to create by doing it in a more dramatic manner. Great Mommy!!
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Chrissy, I think you are a brave woman. When I was four I was watching my adopted dad rotait the tires on his truck....the jack slipped and the truck fell on my right hand, I had my hand rebuilt and I learned to use my left hand, and then after years I learned how to use my right hand, I use my ukneek hand the best I can, people notice it and I tell them, I do the best I can, my life goes on.....thank you for your brave storey. My your life be filled with love!
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We just concluded a spirited community discussion on proposed increased gun regulation. Do you think limiting gun sales, increased gun safety education or juvenile gun restrictions and curfews would have prevented your tragedy?
Do you think there are too many gun laws that are not enforced ? .ie that criminals by their nature are free of legal restrictions that bind normal citizens?
We see war veterans with facial disfigurement who are predominantly men. Do you think woman are more deeply affected by facial and body disfigurement than men?
After physical trauma and life is no longer endangered, there is psychological issues that linger every day--for years perhaps decades. How do you deal with your post traumatic psychological syndrome? What helps?