Here’s a family photo of little nine year old Sandeep Kaur before a grass cutting machine completely amputated her face and scalp. The machine caught one of Sandeep’s braids and then pulled her head in. Sandeep’s mother, who witnessed the accident, said: “I didn’t know where her face was. Everything was peeled off.”

Sandeep Kaur’s face arrived in two pieces at a hospital in India where it was replanted onto her skull 10 years ago. Sandeep arrived at the hospital unconscious with her face in a plastic bag. There’s another photo of Sandeep Kaur after her groundbreaking face replant. Although they didn’t realize it at the time, Sandeep’s doctors were making history. Sandeep’s operation is considered the world’s first full-face replant. It has inspired a team of doctors in Louisville, Ky (very close to where I’m from) to attempt the first human face transplant. They also did the battery charged heart thing.

Sandeep Kaur aged 19, 10 years after the accident that ripped off her face and nearly claimed her life. Today, Sandeep is training to be a nurse.