A young girl who had part of her face chewed off by a raccoon has undergone surgery to repair the damage from the horrific attack
Charlotte Ponce made headlines around the world when she was badly mauled by a pet raccoon that got into her crib ten years ago.
She was three-months-old when the animal chewed off her nose, ear and part of her lip.
Before and after: Charlotte was just
three-months-old when a raccoon chewed off a part of her face while she
was sleeping in her crib
Life-changing: Sharon and Tim Ponce were
watching the 11 o'clock news when they learned their great-niece
Charlotte had been mauled by a pet raccoon
Injuries: Three-month-old Charlotte was in
critical condition in the hospital. The raccoon had chewed away her
right ear, her nose and part of her lip and cheekbone
New Family: Charlotte's brother Marshall, right,
had been taken from the home and placed in a foster care facility and
was then adopted by the Ponces along with Charlotte
The raccoon was thought to have escaped from its cage after a door was left open when food had been dropped in.
They later lost custody of Charlotte and she was adopted by Tim and Sharon Ponce along with her brother who was aged 15 months.
The children are their great-niece and -nephew.
Under the knife: Charlotte underwent the first in a series of reconstructive surgeries on Wednesday
Plans: Charlotte
Ponce, whose face was mauled by a pet raccoon a decade ago, with
markings on her face made by her surgeon before her first surgery at
Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak
Operation: Doctors are using skin from her wrist
to reconstruct her nose. Future procedures will focus on the Spring
Lake girl's lips and ear
But now after friends raised more than $10,000 in Spring Lake, Michigan, she is to undergo a series of operations on her face that is hoped will restore her looks.
A plastic surgeon at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak plans to create a new nose, repair her upper lip and create a new right ear for Charlotte.
Normal life: Since 2002, Charlotte has grown
into a high-spirited ten-year-old girl who loves swimming, fishing and
riding horses
Smiles: The Ponce's medical insurance will cover
the cost of the operations but the cash raised will be used for
transport and hotels for the repeated trips to hospital
Loving family: Charlotte Ponce with her father, Tim, at a park in Nunica, Michigan
Preparation: Dr Kongkrit Chaiyasate, right,
talks with Tim and Sharon Ponce and son Marshall, before performing
surgery on Charlotte at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan
Sharon had quit her job at a daycare center to look after Charlotte after doctors said she would need full time care.
Vicious: Charlotte was mauled by a pet raccoon, like the one seen here, when the animal got into her crib ten years ago
After it became painful Sharon researched pediatric plastic surgeons and came across Dr Kongkrit Chaiyasate at the Beaumont Hospital's Craniofacial and Cleft Palate Clinic.
He agreed to remove the ear and carry out the new surgery.
Charlotte is happy to have the operations and has been responding to well wishers who donated money by writing a personal thank you note.
She said she is looking forward to being able to eat popsicles.
The first operation was carried out on Wednesday and family members said it had gone well with Charlotte resting.
At a recent fundraising event for Charlotte one of the visitors was the 911 dispatcher who took the frantic call from Charlotte's parents after she had been mauled.
The woman, identified by her first name Sharon, told the Ponces the frantic call was the worst she had even taken.
Mother's love: Sharon Ponce caresses Charlotte before her first surgery on Wednesday
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