Dimensions
140 x 210 x 14mm
Ten years ago, when Kathy Torpie got into her car to drive home to Muriwai in New Zealand, she glanced in the mirror before she put the key in the ignition. This would be the last time she would ever see herself again.
When she was hit head on late that evening by a drunk driver, the injuries didn't blind her - instead, every bone in her face was shattered. Not broken - so they could be pinned and stapled back together - but shattered, so that her facial bones had to be replaced with bone grafts, plastic and titanium plates. The result was an entirely new face the next time she looked in the mirror. The face of a stranger.
A strong, active and fiercely independent woman, Kathy found herself physically vulnerable and reliant on others. 'Losing Face' tells of her extraordinary physical and emotional journey over the past eight years, one which led her through the depths of depression and beyond - as she struggled to regain her face and her sense of self.
