- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Jordan Wilson was attacked by a dog in 2022, and suffered horrific injuries
- Her nose was ripped off by the dog, who belonged to a family friend
- Now close to two years on, she has had multiple surgeries, sharing her recovery
A woman has documented her brave recovery after suffering horrific facial injuries when her nose was torn off by a dog in a terrifying attack.
Jordan Wilson, 26, has had 10 grueling surgeries after being savaged by a Boerboel in a freak attack in April 2022 – and along the way has earned social media stardom by candidly opening up about her journey online.
The mom and her boyfriend had been staying with his brother and his girlfriend who owned the Boerboel, when the attack happened.
‘We had just returned home from dinner and were all sitting together on the floor,’ the Pennsylvania native recalled. ‘The dog was on a leash at the time because he was known to be quite territorial.’
Jordan said she ‘kind of blacked out’ when the dog attacked, but her boyfriend later filled her in on what happened, telling her the dog leaned in as though it was going to lick her face but instead quickly lunged at her.
‘[The dog] locked his jaw around my nose and refused to let go,’ Jordan recalled.
‘When the owner finally managed to get him off me, I remember holding my face and seeing blood pouring down,’ she described of the horrifying injury.
While everyone else was ‘screaming and freaking out,’ Jordan said she remained ‘completely calm’ – despite almost having her nose completely ripped off.
‘I just knew that we needed to go to the emergency room as soon as possible,’ she asserted.
Jordan was rushed to Tampa General Hospital, but the hospital didn’t have the qualified plastic surgeons she required. She was then taken to a different hospital in an ambulance, and underwent her first operation.
The doctors cleaned the wound and covered it with an artificial skin substitute; however, what Jordan really needed was a forehead flap.
A forehead flap is one of the oldest recorded surgical techniques for nasal reconstruction and has been shown to maximize both functional and aesthetic outcomes of the surgery.
In this operation, a reconstructive surgeon uses skin from the forehead above the eyebrow and pivots it vertically to replace missing nasal tissue. However, it was hard to find a surgeon qualified for the specific type of reconstruction.
‘Unfortunately, due to the nature of the procedure being so specialized, there are only a handful of surgeons worldwide who perform it,’ she explained.
Determined to find the most qualified person for the job, Jordan embarked to Miami to see a string of different physicians in the hopes someone would agree to perform the surgery.
‘My numerous appointments ended in disappointment because my requests for a forehead flap were repeatedly denied,’ she recalled.
Jordan discovered there was a surgeon in the United States who was well-known for his work in the field of forehead flap surgery – however he had retired.
Thankfully, the Dallas-based doctor was able to make a recommendation for one of his former colleagues, whom he had worked with for a long period of time.
Even though it meant relocating to Dallas for six months while undergoing to carious surgeries and treatments involved, Jordan and her boyfriend didn’t hesitate in getting on the plane.
With Jordan undergoing a procedure the day she arrived in Dallas, her recovery was officially underway – even though there was still a long journey ahead.
In order to have more skin to work with when rebuilding her nose, Dr Thornton inserted a tissue expander into her forehead.
The next operation was on the forehead flap, which was performed in four distinct stages. Unfortunately, she experienced ‘difficulties with an infection’ after the surgery, which set her recovery back.
She has since undergone a total of nine surgical procedures but is happy to report the operation recovery is going ‘well.’
According to Jordan’s TikTok, as of July 2023 she had undergone 10 reconstruction surgeries, and said remaining optimistic about her future was the key to her speedy recovery.
‘I quickly accepted the reality that I would never have the same face again, and as a result, I haven’t spent a lot of time being overly depressed about the situation,’ she explained.
‘I have good days and bad days, but having my boyfriend, who has been my biggest supporter through all of this definitely had an impact on my ability to remain positive,’ Jordan admitted.
‘The unreserved love and concern he has shown for me throughout this ordeal is something truly remarkable. I cannot believe how fortunate I am to have him,’ she gushed.
In addition to love and support, Jordan extensively uses various self-care practices to help speed up her recovery and calm her on ‘dark days,’
She sights things like meditating daily, keeping a journal, practicing yoga, and spending at least 15 minutes outside in the sun as being ‘extremely important driving forces’ in her recovery.
Jordan announced her first pregnancy in March, 2023 and gave birth to her first child, River, in August 2023.
The brave woman is loving her new role, reflecting on motherhood in an Instagram post, writing: ‘The hardest job on earth, no doubt, but the most beautiful and honorable one I’ll ever have.’
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
