A woman who endured the loss of her entire forehead in a horrific car accident has unveiled her remarkable journey of recovery, thanks to reconstructive surgery.
In December 2006, Grainne Kealy from County Laois, Ireland, sustained severe facial injuries when her vehicle skidded on ice and slammed into a wall in Borris-in-Ossory. The impact shattered every bone in her face.
Kealy attributes the extent of her injuries to having her feet propped on the dashboard. When the airbag deployed, it propelled her knees into her head at a velocity of 320 km/h, even though the Jeep she was in was traveling at just 50 km/h.
The damage was so severe that medical professionals had to surgically remove her forehead, leaving her without one for two years.
Since the crash at the age of 22, Kealy has undergone 16 reconstructive surgeries. Despite these efforts, she continues to cope with both the physical and mental aftermath of her ordeal.
In 2009, she received a custom-made ceramic forehead from Italy. Kealy has since shared striking images of her transformation, revealing little trace of her past injuries.
Taking to Instagram, Grainne, now 41, shared before and after pictures, writing: ‘What a difference a decade makes!’
Grainne, who also suffered a brain leak in the car accident, added: ‘…And a neurosurgeon, a plastic surgeon, a max fax team, an ENT surgeon, a dentist, an eye surgeon and many many amazing nurses! Not to mention all at ABI).’
Grainne Kealy was left without a forehead for two years (pictured) after a freak car crash in 2006
Writing on Facebook, she added: ‘I had really done a job on myself. I had multiple facial fractures (my mother was told that I had broken every bone in my face), a CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid) leak from my brain and oh yeah I lost two teeth!
She added: ‘In 2007 I experienced a set back and had to have my forehead removed. Yes…my forehead! And yes…all of it! I lived without my forehead for two years until June 17, 2009 when I got my brand new Italian ceramic forehead.
‘I’m sure most of you reading this are a little puzzled by this…I know I was when they told me. I had nothing in place of my forehead for two years. My head sunk in and I looked a little strange.’
While her boyfriend walked away from the crash with only minor injuries, she explained that the extent of her fracturing was so severe because she had had her Ugg boots resting on the dashboard which concealed the airbag.
And when they suddenly inflated, it sent her knees smashing into her face ‘faster than a blink of an eye’.
Warning people, she said: ‘The airbag system ignites a solid propellant, which burns extremely rapidly to create a large volume of gas to inflate the bag.
‘The bag then literally bursts from its storage site at up to 200mph, faster than the blink of an eye!
‘A second later, the gas quickly dissipates through tiny holes in the bag, thus deflating the bag so you can move.
In 2009, Grainne had an Italian ceramic forehead fitted, and has joked she’s now ‘part Italian’ (pictured post surgery)
She now looks unrecognisable in her transformation pictures (pictured)
‘So there you go….now you get it. I kneed myself in the face at 200mph!’
Since her accident, Grainne has become an avid campaigner for car safety – and says it ‘breaks her heart’ when she sees others with their feet on the dashboard.
She said: ‘Try remember to keep your feet OFF the dashboard please.
‘It’s scary how many people I still see doing it. You really have no idea how dangerous it can be. Please don’t make the same mistake I did.’
And despite her incredible transformation, she has said she is ‘still recovering’ from her injuries.
The Irishwoman, who now lives in New Zealand, said it was hard coming to terms with her new appearance, and previously revealed she was on anti-depressants.
In an interview with The Sun this week, Grainne said: ‘I had nothing in place of my forehead. My head sunk in and I looked a little strange.
‘I still dislike looking in a mirror and I do not like my face.’
She revealed the damage caused when her boyfriend’s jeep skidded on a patch of black ice and ploughed into a wall
Ms Kealy said she has no memory of the three months leading up to the crash, the crash itself, and the month after. Pictured after the crash
She has previously said she has no memory of the three months leading up to the crash, the crash itself, and the month after.
‘I was one of those people who had my feet up. I thought I was going to be more comfortable,’ she told the New Zealand Herald.
‘The only thing I can hope for people is to learn from my mistakes and don’t take the risk. You just don’t know. You can’t control every car on the road or the conditions around you.’
She also said she has Acquired Brain Injury where she loses words in the middle of conversations, she finds it hard to focus, and she constantly gets headaches.
In 2019, Ms Kealy posted a warning that others after seeing a trend of celebrities sharing photos with their feet on the dashboard.
‘This breaks my heart to think of how many millions of people have seen these celebrities with their feet on the dashboard,’ she said.
‘I can only hope that people will eventually learn from my mistake.’
Grainne said that she was opening up about her ‘heartbreaking experience’ to ensure that nobody else has to suffer what she endured.
Writing on Instagram previously, Grainne, now 41, shared before and after pictures, writing: ‘What a difference a decade makes!’
She said: ‘One of my first memories is looking in the mirror for the first time. I didn’t recognize the face looking back at me.
‘That is one of the worse memories I have and one that I hope with all my heart not many people will ever have to go through.
‘I have been waiting for years to be able to tell people my story but I was never strong enough to open up about such a heartbreaking experience.
‘I am sharing my story now because I can’t stand the thought of another person having to go through what I have had to go through.’
In 2006, the same year as Ms Kealy’s injury, the NRMA reported that 400 Australians were hospitalised due to injuries from putting their feet on the dash.
