A North Carolina teen born with a rare condition that left her without a nose or eyes is preparing for her final operation which will give her a real nose.
Cassidy Hooper, 16, will undergo three surgeries at Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte over the course of two weeks that will create a nose from cartilage and bone taken from her skull.
And the good news has left the energetic teen ecstatic because for the first time she will be able to smell and breathe through her own nose.
When she was born, her condition left doctors baffled, especially since had no other medical problems and leads a healthy life.
'Her heart and brain are normal,' said her mother, kindergarten teacher, Susan Hooper to ABC News.
'Nothing else is going on with her.'
The inspirational teenager has been going through skin graft surgeries to adapt her face since she was 11 years old and is pleased to be entering the final straight.
'I'll have a real nose like everyone else's,' said Cassidy.
Her surgeon, Dr. David Matthews has worked for the past five years expanding her face to create a bony opening that has now developed into a bony opening that is now waiting for the cartilage graph to be placed over.
In the past, Cassidy used prosthetic eyes, but since they cost $5,000 each, the Hooper's could not afford to keep replacing them as their daughter grew.
'Insurance didn't pay one cent,' said Susan, 42. 'We had already started the process to do her nose, moving her eyes closer together and having her skull reshaped. We were not going to pay for it then have to pay again.'
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