A routine jog turned into a nightmarish ordeal for a a 39-year-old mother of two, when she tripped over her dog and the cut became infected and half her face 'FELL OFF'.
Shelley Puchalsky said she was out running when she tripped over her shih tzu dog, Chloe, back in September 2019. She fell face forward onto the trail and suffered cuts to her nose and forehead.
Little did she know that the wounds would become infected
She explained: "I was out for a run with my dog, she stopped abruptly in front of me and I fell face forward into the trail and suffered some lacerations to my forehead and nose.
"I had to get some stitches and they became infected and wouldn't heal. I went to a doctor who said he could help me, so he did a skin graft over my nose and restitched my forehead."
However, her situation took a turn for the worse as an infection began to wreak havoc on her face.
"It was a botched surgery. In hindsight, I don't think they realized it was infected when they put the skin graft over it, and by the time I went back and let them know, I wasn't taken seriously.
"I looked like a burns victim. The entire half side of my face looked like it had been burned off and then the upper portion of my scalp looked like road rash, because there was no skin or hair."
The infection progressively worsened, causing a gaping hole the size of a mango to form on Shelley's forehead, exposing her bone. The severity of the infection escalated as it started to travel up her scalp, devouring chunks of skin and hair in its path.
"It had eaten through my skin down to the bone. There was a huge mango-sized hole in my forehead that just kept getting bigger and you could actually see down to the bone," Shelley described.
It wasn't until November 2020 that Shelley was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, a bone infection in her skull, which eventually led to sepsis, putting her life at risk.
"I feel lucky to be alive. I've seen other stories of people who've had sepsis who've had it much worse off than me with missing limbs, and I feel lucky to have walked away with what I have," Shelley expressed.
In a bid to salvage her appearance and health, Shelley underwent a major surgery in February 2021.
The procedure involved extensive measures, including a significant incision from ear to ear, in order to reposition the skin graft and remove the infected areas. Although the surgery was successful, Shelley has endured ongoing complications as the area got reinfected.
"I just knew that my face, myself, and things were never going to be the same. I don't recognize myself when I look in the mirror. I don't look in the mirror a lot, I feel like the person looking back isn't me," Shelley shared.
The psychological toll was huge and she said she felt unable to leave the house for years, for fear of judgement.
"I probably didn't go out in public for two years. I still don't go out much, every now and then. I try to time it really early in the morning or late at night.
"Only very close friends of mine have seen me in person. I don't go out in public a lot because I'm embarrassed of my face, which is strange because I'll show complete strangers on the internet.
"I'm very introverted about it because I still feel very wounded and protective because I'm still dealing with a lot of hurt because I feel like what happened, didn't have to happen.
"I feel lucky to be alive, I've seen other stories of people who've had sepsis who've had it much worse off than me with missing limbs and I feel lucky to have walked away with what I have."
The financial burden resulting from the incident has also taken its toll on Shelley. Unable to work and forced to move states for specialized treatment not covered by insurance, she has found herself in a difficult situation.
"It would be a dream come true to have this surgery before my big day," Shelley expressed, as she started a fundraising campaign to raise $30,000 for reconstructive surgery.
She's now fundraising $30,000 for surgery to help with her disfigurement and said it would be a 'dream come true' to have it done before her and fiance of eight years David Miller, 59, tie the knot at the end of this year.
"Being able to raise the money would mean so much to me because I'd be able to find a surgeon that would be able to help me for that price. It would be a dream come true to have this surgery before my big day," Shelley said.
You can donate to Shelley's GoFundMe here - https://www.gofundme.com/f/shelley-find-a-plastic-surgeon
