(Host) A woman who was severely disfigured in a 2007 domestic assault is speaking out about her experience in an effort to help others.
Carmen Tarleton of East Thetford was burned over 80 percent of her body when she was attacked by her estranged husband, Herbert Rogers, who poured industrial strength lye on her.
At the time, Tarleton was given little chance of survival. She says after her initial recovery, blindness prevented her from seeing the extent of her injuries.
She realized how badly she’d been disfigured when she listened to a television news story that showed her attending a court hearing.
(Tarleton) "That’s when it hit me. And when they said, ‘these pictures are graphic, viewers beware,’ I was just thought. I thought, ‘Oh, they’re talking about me! I look that bad?"
(Host) Tarleton has since regained some of her vision. She’s currently being screened as a candidate for a facial transplant, which she hopes will help preserve her eyesight and improve her quality of life.
Tarleton is now speaking to groups about her experience in hopes that people will be encouraged to overcome adversity in their own lives.
(Tarleton) "This experience, however bad it was, and all of the negative things that go with it, has made me grow so much as a person that I tell people I’m actually happier now than I ever was before."
(Host) In addition to talking to groups about her experience, Tarleton says she’s writing a book.
She’ll speak tonight at 7 at Chandler Music Hall in Randolph.