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The Resurrection of Amalia Mendoza - Day 1

A young girl, left, walking with her family in the Coastland Center in Naples, Fla. turns to look at a covered up Amalia Mendoza, right, as she is led around the mall by her daughter Rocio Villa, center. While Mendoza is blind, she says she can feel the looks of others as they notice her wig and netting that keeps her old prosthetic attached to her face. Greg Kahn/Staff

Photo by GREG KAHN

A young girl, left, walking with her family in the Coastland Center in Naples, Fla. turns to look at a covered up Amalia Mendoza, right, as she is led around the mall by her daughter Rocio Villa, center. While Mendoza is blind, she says she can feel the looks of others as they notice her wig and netting that keeps her old prosthetic attached to her face. Greg Kahn/Staff

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  • Amalia Mendoza seen in a undated photo before her horrific accident that nearly took her life. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • In 2001 Amalia Mendoza was in a car accident on a rural Colombia road which resulted in the loss of most of her face including her hair, both eyes, nose, and sections of her skull. After years of frustration, one of Amalia's daughters brought her to America to seek the help of David Trainer, a specialist in facial prosthetics, in the hopes he could give Mendoza her identity back. Amalia Mendoza has new metal implants in her skull cleaned by her daughter Rocio Villa, left, and a nurse at the surgeon's office. The metal implants, fitted with magnets at the end, are where her prosthetic face will soon be attached. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • The stretch of road almost three hours North of her home in Valledupar, Colombia where Amalia Mendoza's accident occurred. Amalia lost both eyes, her nose and sections of her skull in the accident. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • Photos of the taxi that Amalia Mendoza was traveling in that flipped over causing the serious injury to her. Mendoza was sitting in the back seat on the passenger side. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • A young girl, left, walking with her family in the Coastland Center in Naples, Fla. turns to look at a covered up Amalia Mendoza, right, as she is led around the mall by her daughter Rocio Villa, center. While Mendoza is blind, she says she can feel the looks of others as they notice her wig and netting that keeps her old prosthetic attached to her face. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • Rocio Villa, checks on her mom Amalia Mendoza, as they sit outside of Hollister Clothing at the Coastland Center in Naples. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • Dr. David Trainer applies a paste over Amalia Mendoza's face so he can make a mold of the structure of her head, and build a prosthetic from that. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • Amalia Mendoza, center, pulls David Trainer, left, a maxillo-facial prosthetist in Naples, Fla. out of his chair to give him a hug after finishing a day of work making a new face for Mendoza. Trainer, who makes facial prosthetics said Mendoza's cases was more extensive than any he has worked on. 'What's running through my head is, what am I going to do, how am I going to tackle the problem that I'm faced?' Trainer said. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • Dr. David Trainer, left, and Dr. Steven Laquis, right, look at the structure of Amalia's face as they prepare to implant titanium screws into her skull so that a prosthetic can me attached. Greg Kahn/Staff
  • Dr. David Trainer, right, stretches as he describes the procedure of making a prosthetic to Amalia's family. Greg Kahn/Staff

The story of Amalia Mendoza who lost her face in a car accident in May 2001, and came to Naples, Fla. to have a prosthetic face made for her by David Trainer, one of the world's leading prosthetic makers.

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