Her Jaw Disintegrated | TMJ & Facial Reconstructive Surgery
Sickboy
CBC
4.8 • 524 Ratings
🗓️ 26 February 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How do you fix a face that’s falling apart? In Rachel’s case, you break it even more. What started as trouble swallowing as a teenager turned into a full facial reconstruction. Rachel’s TMJ deterioration left her unable to eat, breathe properly, or even recognize her own face. With her airway down to just 2 millimeters (when it should be 11!), doctors had no choice but to break and rebuild her entire jaw. In this episode, Rachel walks us through her insane surgical journey—from bone saws to gold weights implanted in her eyelid, the facial paralysis that followed, and the emotional rollercoaster of waking up with a face that felt like someone else’s. This is a story about identity, survival, and the body’s wild ability to rebuild itself.
Be sure to catch the full video version of this episode on YouTube!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's becoming pretty clear that U.S. President Donald Trump is ripping up the political |
| 0:05.3 | playbook. |
| 0:05.8 | And when it comes to what it all means for Canada, well, as they say, it's complicated. |
| 0:09.8 | But our podcast, two blocks from the White House, is a way to make sense of it all. |
| 0:13.8 | Join me, Willie Lowry, and senior Washington correspondents, Paul Hunter and Katie Simpson |
| 0:18.6 | every week as we break down the headlines from Capitol Hill with a Canadian spin. |
| 0:24.2 | Find and follow two blocks from the White House on your favorite podcast app, including YouTube. |
| 0:30.3 | This is a CBC podcast. |
| 0:35.9 | I swear to God, it felt like my jaw dislocated. |
| 0:38.8 | It popped out. |
| 0:40.2 | I screamed. |
| 0:41.1 | I mean, it was terrible. |
| 0:42.6 | This is Rachel. |
| 0:44.7 | And what started as trouble swallowing as a teenager? |
| 0:47.7 | I felt like I couldn't eat. |
| 0:49.0 | I felt like I was choking on my food. |
| 0:51.1 | Like I had a really hard time swallowing food. |
| 0:53.4 | Turned into a medical journey that literally transformed her face. |
| 0:58.3 | My airway was two millimeters, and for a normal adult woman, it should be closer to 11. |
| 1:03.8 | Inside Rachel's jaw, something was slowly deteriorated. |
| 1:07.3 | Your body's breaking it down for unknown reasons. |
| 1:10.0 | Mine were off to the side, wadded up little |
... |
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