REBUILDING A LIFE: THE REMARKABLE RESILIENCE OF CHRISSY STELTZ

In March 1999, sixteen-year-old Chrissy Steltz survived a catastrophic shotgun blast in Portland, Oregon, which destroyed the center of her face and left her permanently blind. Initial medical efforts at Legacy Emanuel Hospital focused strictly on survival, eventually using a fibular graft from her lower leg to rebuild a basic facial foundation. Rather than letting the trauma define her, Steltz quickly adapted to her new reality: she learned Braille and cane navigation, graduated high school on schedule, married Geoffrey Dilger—who was also blind—and welcomed a son in July 2009.

For over a decade, Steltz wore a black sleep mask to cover her severe injuries. A transformative path emerged through maxillofacial prosthodontics. Led by Dr. Larry Over and surgeon Dr. Eric Dierks, a multidisciplinary medical team designed a custom implant-supported facial prosthesis. In early 2010, surgeons placed titanium implants into her reconstructed facial bones. Once healed, these implants used a magnetic keeper system to securely attach a removable, medical-grade silicone prosthesis featuring artificial eyes, a nose, and matched skin tones modeled from her pre-injury photographs.

Completed in July 2010, this custom prosthetic face offered Steltz a renewed sense of confidence and presence in public. More importantly, it allowed her young son to grow up looking at a recognizable face rather than a mask. While medicine could not reverse her blindness or restore her original facial structures, the combination of surgical innovation, prosthetic technology, and extraordinary personal strength created an inspiring path forward.