c





 

 

  


Carolyn Thomas, a 34-
34-year-
year-old former track star was shot in the face
by an abusive ex-
ex-boyfriend who also killed her mother. She wears a
mask--like bandage to protect her from infection and the stares of
mask
those who are unknowing of her experiences.
This is an undated photo of Carolyn Thomas before her face was
destroyed in a shooting.
Carolyn Thomas must feed herself four times a day using a tube
attached to her stomach.
iith Stan and Jan to keep her company, Carolyn must constantly
remind herself to stay upbeat. "I'm alive for a reason. I don't
question God," she says.
›assing an unidentified shopper at ial-
ial-Mart, Carolyn Thomas heads
down the aisles quickly to avoid the stares of those who are
unfamiliar with the tragedy of her past.
djusting her trachea tube, Carolyn Thomas cleans it constantly in
order to breathe comfortably and to talk.
This photo shows Janice Reeves, Carolyn Thomas' mother, who was
shot dead by her daughter's boyfriend in 2003.
 Carolyn Thomas reacts as prosecutor Crawford Long displays a .44
Magnum for her to identify during the trial of Terrence Kelly in iaco
in pril 2005. Terrence used the gun to shoot Thomas in the face.
Terrence Kelly leaves court pril 15, 2005, in iaco. He was convicted
of shooting Carolyn Thomas in the face and killing her mother in
2003. He is serving a life sentence.

K
RY GR›HIC)
iith half her face shot off, it will take several surgeries to
reconstruct her facial skull.
ãesides the jaw, tissue, and bone, Carolyn lost an eye, nose, and
upper lip.
The first of several surgeries; the goal was to make sure Carolyn
could breathe while preventing infection.
Vext the eye socket was repaired allowing for a
removable socket to be used.
fter having several skins grafts, where skin was removed from her back and
legs, the jaw line was built and closed. n upper lip was also constructed.
curing this process, a plaster mold is made of her face to build her a nose.
The area of the nose is built with a synthetic so as not to cause
chaffing, making it easier for Carolyn to breathe.

ach day,
she will
have to
glue the
piece to
her face
to apply
the
synthetic
nose.
coctors constructed several noses attempting to match it to the original nose.
Carolyn chose the one she felt closely resembled her original nose.
Life ãegins new!
She is the face of domestic violence. She travels the
country sharing her story, teaching women,
warning women, empowering women.
›revalence of comestic iolence
'
stimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or
former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year1 to three million women
who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year.

' round the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten,
coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.

' Vearly one-

one-third of merican women K31 percent) report being physically
or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives

' Vearly 25 percent of merican women report being raped and/or

physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or
date at some time in their lifetime

' Thirty percent of mericans say they know a woman who has been
physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.

' Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women.

' iomen accounted for 85 % of the intimate partner violence K588,490

total) and men accounted for 15 % of the victims

' ihile women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes
overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be
victimized by an intimate partner.