Raccoon Attack Victim Recovering From Facial Reconstruction

ROYAL OAK. (WWJ/AP) - A Michigan girl whose face was mauled by a pet raccoon when she was a baby is set to return home after successfully undergoing the first in a series of reconstructive surgeries.

The first procedure for 10-year-old Charlotte Ponce of Spring Lake took place last week at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

Her doctor and others provided an update on Charlotte's condition during a news event Wednesday.

Skin from Charlotte's wrist was used to reconstruct her nose. Over the next two years, she'll undergo surgeries to finish rebuilding her nose, create an ear lobe and upper lip.

Her adoptive mother, Sharon Ponce, said she and her husband Tim want to help Charlotte any way they can. It was Charlotte, she said, who decided it was time to begin repairing the damage.

"It's always been here decision. You know, as a mom a part of me sometimes would say ... I love her the way she is. And I did -- I loved her the way she was," Ponce said. "But she always wanted to be like everybody else, so we felt like she deserved the chance."

Dr. Kongkrit Chaiyasate said he's "very pleased with the result" of the first procedure.

Charlotte will return home either Thursday or Friday and continue her recovery for six to eight weeks.

The raccoon attacked Charlotte when she was 3 months old.

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