A man lost his nose when his dog bit it off while trying to save him from a seizure, but surgeons were able to build him a new one using part of his rib.
Ben Horne, 34, had suffered from epilepsy since his teens but after undergoing a change in medication he began having nocturnal seizures.
During one attack, her dog Henry became frightened and attacked her face, tearing off her nose and parts of her mouth and chin.
The injuries were so severe that the aerospace engineer from Yeovil, Somerset, was barely able to speak but managed to call an ambulance.
Over the past five years she has struggled to accept her new appearance and has undergone ten operations to reconstruct her face, using bones from her ribs and skin from her forearm and forehead.
Ben Horne, 34, has suffered from epilepsy since he was 15, but after undergoing a change in medication he began having nocturnal seizures.
Mr Horne is finally beginning to accept his new face and hopes that by sharing his story he can help others going through similar traumatic experiences.
Mr Horne said: ‘During one of my night-time seizures, my dog got scared.
‘In the process he hurt my face a lot.
‘My whole house was covered in blood. I called 999. I couldn’t speak, but I managed to get through that I needed an ambulance.
“When I came to, a nurse told me: ‘I’m going to give you a mirror and you’re in for a big surprise.’
“I couldn’t believe the extent of the damage. It was heartbreaking. I’m trying to accept myself.
‘It’s learning to love yourself and who you are instead of reflecting on who you used to be.’
During one episode, her dog Henry became frightened and attacked her face, tearing off her nose and parts of her mouth and chin. He is pictured before the accident.
The aerospace engineer from Yeovil, Somerset, pictured here before the crash, was barely able to speak but managed to call an ambulance.
Following the incident in November 2019, Mr Horne’s upper lip was hanging down, he had lost much of his chin and only his septum bone remained.
He was rushed to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton for a 10-hour emergency operation to reconstruct what they could.
“I remember looking in the mirror and just wishing I hadn’t called an ambulance,” Horne said.
“I didn’t see how I could live with what happened,” he added.
Due to the pandemic, she did not begin reconstructive surgery until May 2021 at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.
Following the incident in November 2019, Mr Horne’s upper lip was hanging down, he had lost much of his chin and only his septum bone remained.
Due to the pandemic, she did not begin reconstructive surgery until May 2021 at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.
The initial reconstructive surgery involved creating more than one septum (the middle part, made of flexible cartilage) for her nose.
However, she collapsed shortly after and had to wait until October 2021 for the next operation, during which surgeons took skin from her left forearm to create the inner part of her nose.
Mr Horne said: ‘I have both forearms tattooed so I had to decide what I preferred.
‘At least I can say I have a tattoo on the inside of my nose.’
He also had rib bones removed in the same surgery and an artery from his forearm was removed to connect to his neck.
“I found it very difficult. I always tried to look forward,” he said.
‘I had a piece of it tattooed on my face and I had to wear makeup every day.’
Surgeons took skin from his left forearm, which was tattooed, to create the inside of his nose.
During another surgery, part of the skin on his forehead was removed and folded over the tattooed skin.
He underwent another surgery in September 2022 to take some of the skin from his forehead and fold it down over the top of the tattooed skin.
He said: ‘Having the flap on my forehead was huge on my face.
“They have to leave the skin together so that you’re left with a huge lump hanging over your eyes.”
In March 2023, he underwent another surgery, in which he received hip bone and rib cartilage grafts, after the bone from the previous donor became infected.
He still needs plastic tubes to help him breathe (pictured), so the next step is to find a way to remove them without his nose closing up.
In May 2023, Mr Horne had the skin removed from his forehead and the team has since been completing the operation to work on the structure of his nose.
He still needs plastic tubes to help him breathe, so the next step is to find a way to remove them without his new nose closing up.
Mr Horne is now beginning to accept his new look, but has struggled with stares.
He said: “It’s very difficult when you see people looking at you. I compare it to a dream where you’re naked in public.
“You want to hide but you can’t. You can’t change things or what has happened.”
Mr Horne’s dog Henry, who he had for 10 years before the accident, has now been rehomed following an assessment and is happy with his new family.
She told MailOnline she decided not to make the dog’s breed public.
Mr Horne is now raising funds to support Exeter Plastic Surgery and Epilepsy Action and will be taking part in two Tough Mudder races and two 50km races.
