Ali Condon
A model who lost her top lip in a brutal pit bull attack is finally able to smile again after undergoing dozens of intense surgeries.
Brooklinn Khoury, 23, had already made a name for herself as a model and influencer, complete with a Vogue spread, before a freak dog attack changed her life.
In November 2020, the day before she had been set to star in her first television commercial, Brooklinn had been hanging out with her cousin Khoury, who owned an eight-year-old pit bull named Diesel.
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After a girls' day out, the cousins went back to Brooklinn's house and she went to pet her cousin's dog.
Unlike the countless other times she had gone to pet the pooch, this time, Diesel sprung toward her and managed to latch on to her top lip.
Eventually, the dog tore off Brooklinn's entire top lip and the tip of her nose, drastically affecting her physical appearance, her career, and her mental health.
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Since then, Brooklinn has been documenting her journey to recover her smile.
Over the last two years, the pro-skateboarder has undergone a number of intense surgeries, with some lasting around 20 hours at a time.
Throughout her recovery, Brooklinn gained thousands of fans and followers who have been supporting her every step of the way and offering the confidence boost she needs.
It took over a year for Brooklinn to find a doctor who was willing to operate on her face.
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But eventually, in November 2021, Brooklyn found a surgeon who was able to work some magic on her with a skin-graft procedure.
After five intense procedures, and a lot of time in hospital, the doctor was able to restore Brooklinn's long-lost smile and nose.
Doctors removed skin and an artery from her arm and attached it to her mouth, then made an incision in her neck to connect the artery so that blood could flow naturally through her new top lip.
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The procedure was incredibly successful and today Brooklinn's, smile is as good as new.
In a recent video posted to her Instagram, she even went into Sephora to get a makeup artist to draw on her upper lip to bring back even more of her smile.
With the help of her supporters, Brooklinn has now been spending more time focusing on being happy and enjoying life, whether it's surfing and skateboarding, or spending time with her girlfriend (Dance Moms star Chloé Lukasiak).
Brooklinn met Chloé just days before the attack, and remembers worrying that the dancer wouldn't be attracted to her after the tragic incident.
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"I just fell so hard," she told People. "I was like, 'What if she doesn't think I'm pretty anymore?'"
But, if anything, it just brought the couple closer together, with Chloé quickly becoming one of Brooklinn's biggest supporters, helping her through every step of her recovery.