The Woman Who Survived

She was known as the 'woman without a face' but after her interview with Oprah, she said that she wanted to be known as the 'woman who survived'. Who are we to contest that?

Carolyn Thomas, 34 years old, was shot by her ex-boyfriend in the face. Her 'before and after' photos were shown in Oprah and from those, you yourself can attest to the tragic transformation of her cara (her eye, cheek, jaw and upper lip were flawed). She was sporty, she got those sexy curves but after some time, because of her ex-bf's extreme jealousy, he asked her to dress up in baggy clothes. It even came to a point when he prohibited her from talking to her 'male' cousins and some immediate family members. Carolyn wasn't allowed to work, and she admitted that she wasn't herself anymore. Her father was not in favor of the guy, he did some background check on the latter and results weren't good. Later in the relationship her mother decided to move in with them; this somehow gave her comforting arms. She considered threats like 'i'll kill you if you leave me' sweet during that time but after four years, at gunpoint, she thought otherwise. Still she continued to live with him, the relationship lasted for eight years. It ended one horrifying night. He came home asking who their male companion was. Carolyn swore there were only three of them in the house, but he didn't believe her. He fumbled for the gun, then shot her mother, the most important person in her life. After that, he turned to Carolyn and shot her in the face. Her mother managed to ask for help from their neighbor, who then called 911. Carolyn realized that she was in a hospital when she woke up. She asked where her mother was... they told her she didn't survive. She got curious and tried to tinker with the bondage on her face, only to find out that half of her face was gone.

Her ex-boyfriend was convicted and was given a life sentence. After the judge delivered the decision, Carolyn was allowed to read a letter to his ex. Despite the pain of losing half of her face and her precious mother, Carolyn said that she had forgiven him.

Truly, Carolyn is a survivor. Instead of doubting her life's purpose, she dauntlessly lives, sharing her lesson to the world. Aside from this, she managed to forgive someone who has done such a devastating thing, it takes enormous courage to do that. Like what Oprah said, each and every woman should learn from her experience. Physical abuse is never a sweet thing. If you think that someone does such an act because he or she loves you, think again. It always boils down to respect. I know that women are more open-eyed about these things nowadays compared to previous decades. I just hope that it won't have to take another carolyn to make a wake up call and bring us to full awareness of this issue.

During the interview it was said that Carolyn will be undergong 5 surgeries. Talking isn't easy for her. She said that she has to relearn her alphabet for others to understand her better. She nourishes herself with the use of a tube which delivers food directly to her stomach. Slowly, she's beginning to eat through her mouth again. Surgeons said that no one can make the original form of her face go back, but at least they can do some things that can make life better for Carolyn.


Wanna know more about her? Go to The Insider.
Or watch video clips from the Oprah episode.