Silke Jasso
Brooklinn Khoury has shared images of the outcome of her most recent reconstructive surgery on social media, which she hopes will be her final one. The 23-year-old professional skateboarder has undergone seven surgeries in total, after losing part of her nose and upper lip due to a pit bull attack in 2020. Prior to the procedure, Khoury spoke to PEOPLE about the details of the surgery and her emotions as she nears the end of this prolonged process.
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“Basically, my doctor is recreating the top lip in this surgery — creating a Cupid’s bow and central columns. So kind of making my lip look more aesthetic,” Khoury told PEOPLE, saying that her surges take all day to complete. “My doctor’s very cautious and wants to do everything perfectly.”
Brooklinn Khoury is Moving Foward
According to Khoury, the recovery period for the surgery may last up to six weeks, noting that she will experience numbness in her upper lip immediately following the procedure, which may take up to four months to resolve. While Khoury praised the physician at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center as meticulous in their work, she confesses that she hasn’tt set any specific aesthetic goals for her appearance in light of the dog attack which led to her series of surgeries.
“My personal hope, just like any surgery that I do, is just learning to love what I see,” she stated. “Before, I just focused on such little things that didn’t even matter. Like for instance, I had a zit on my upper lip right when the attack happened, and I remember being so insecure about it. And then 15 minutes later, my entire lip was gone.”
Successful Surgeries!
“So I think it just shifted my perspective and I’ve just been learning to live in the present and learn that beauty does not have a definition,” Khoury continued. “Of course there’s the excitement of seeing how I look and also seeing a bit of myself from before [the attack]. But I’m just excited to hopefully be done and just kind of…I don’t want to say move on but, you know, start with life again.”
Moving forward, Khoury says she is eager for the next surgeries, hoping to put them behind her and resume her lifestyle. “That’s one of the hardest things is just having to sit still and kind of refocus my attention into not being active and hiking, biking, surfing and skating,” she stated. “But we’re almost at the finish line.”
Brooklinn is a strong survivor and she will overcome what has happened to her. I’m proud of her for holding on and she’s gonna conquer what she went through. Keep your head up Brooklin and stay strong. My thoughts and prayers have been with you since what happened that day. And they always will be. You’re a strong survivor and you will conquer what you went through. God will always be with you.