such who are not acquainted with Katie’s speech style, which is still growing, may not be able to readily understand such words; nevertheless, her parents are typically there to provide interpretation. Since Katie, who was 18 years old at the time, suffered serious face injuries and considerable problems as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 25, 2014, Robb and Alesia Stubblefield have remained at her side, assisting her in “taking four steps forward, two steps back,” as Robb puts it.

Katie would be the recipient of the  Cleveland Clinic’s third face transplant, as well as the institution’s first entire face transplant, which would need the participation of eleven surgeons and other specialists all working together.

Having had a face transplant at the age of 21, Katie was the youngest person in the United States to have done so.