After a Devastating Shotgun Accident, Oregon Teen Rebuilt Her Life — and Her Face

Portland, Oregon — In March 1999, sixteen-year-old Chrissy Steltz was spending an ordinary afternoon at a friend’s house when a tragic mistake changed her life forever. A 20-gauge shotgun, believed to be unloaded, had been left on a coffee table. When it unexpectedly discharged at point-blank range, the blast struck Chrissy directly in the face.

The injury was catastrophic. The shot destroyed her eyes, nose, and much of the bone and soft tissue around them. She was airlifted to Oregon Health & Science University in critical condition, where trauma surgeons fought to save her life. They succeeded, but Chrissy emerged from the operating room blind and without a recognizable face.

For the next eleven years, Chrissy adapted with extraordinary determination. She wore a sleep mask in public to cover the damage, learned to navigate her home and surroundings by sound and memory, and embraced new responsibilities after giving birth to her son, Geoffrey. Despite constant medical challenges, she built a stable, loving life for her growing family.

Then, in 2010, specialists at OHSU’s Facial Reconstruction Clinic offered Chrissy a transformative opportunity. Using silicone, acrylic, digital imaging, and archival photographs, a multidisciplinary team created a custom prosthetic face designed to restore her outward appearance. Titanium implants secured magnets beneath her skin, allowing the prosthesis—a lifelike reconstruction featuring matched glass eyes and a carefully painted complexion—to attach securely.

When the team presented the finished prosthesis, Chrissy explored it first with her hands, tracing the contours of her new face in a mirror. “It’s me again,” she said, capturing the emotional weight of the moment.

The reconstruction gave her renewed confidence to appear in public without a mask for the first time in more than a decade. Since then, Chrissy has become an advocate for individuals living with facial differences and a vocal supporter of gun-safety education, often sharing her story to prevent similar tragedies.

Though she never regained her sight, Chrissy Steltz reclaimed something equally powerful: the ability to face the world on her own terms. Her journey stands as a remarkable testament to resilience, surgical innovation, and the human capacity to rebuild after unthinkable loss.