ashleigh banfield has the exclusive report. >> i had gorgeous blue eyes. i had darker blond hair. i had a nice tan. i've always had nice shaped eye brows. i was very beautiful. naturally beautiful. >> reporter: for the last 11 years, chrissy steltz has been living without a face. there's a gaping hole where her eyes, nose and cheeks used to be. >> ready? okay. >> reporter: but today, through the miracle of science and the kindness of doctors, she's about to get a brand new face, just like her pictures, only aged to reflect the decade that's passed. she was only 16 years old when it happened. she left home and was living with her boyfriend, but she still attended school, every day, getting straight as. until everything changed. her friends robbed a country store and stole dozens of guns. chrissy was in the getaway car. then one night, when a group of teenagers were drinking at her apartment, someone started fooling around with a stolen shotgun. >> he told me, it's not loaded. >> reporter: the blast that followed took two-thirds of chrissy's face with it. >> i don't know if you ever

as ashleigh banfield reports, doctors gave her a new face. >> reporter: for the last 11 years, crissyd cheeks used to be. >> all righty? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: but today, through the miracle of science and the kindness of doctors, she's about to get a brand-new face. just like her pictures, only aged to reflect the decade that's passed. she was only 16 years old when it happened. she'd left home and was living with her boyfriend. but she still attended school every day, getting straight as, until everything changed. her friends robbed a country store and stole dozens of guns. crissy was in the getaway car. then one night, when a group of teenagers were drinking at her apartment, someone started fooling around with a stolen shotgun. >> my words were, put that down before you kill somebody. and he told me, it's not loaded. >> reporter: the blast that followed took two-thirds of crissy's face with it. crissy was rushed to the hospital where one of the first people to see her was dr. eric dirks, a maxillofacial surgeon who would remain in her life the next decade. have you ever seen anyt