Brooklinn Khoury is reflecting on her lengthy recovery from a brutal dog attack as she approaches the end of her reconstructive journey.
On Tuesday, the 23-year-old pro skateboarder — who lost her upper lip and part of her nose after being attacked by a pit bull in 2020 — shared a transformation photo on Instagram now that her many reconstructive surgeries are complete.
“I have learned so much more than to just love what I see in the mirror these last couple years,” she captioned the post. “I’ve learned how rare and amazing it is to find a surgeon you can trust, communicate, and laugh with. I’ve learned so much about modern medicine, and all the things you can accomplish. I’m in awe of what my surgeon has been able to do. He is a true artist.”
“Being able to love myself through every step of this reconstruction process has been the most amazing part,” she wrote. “I’ve learned to love every scar, and every difference I see on myself that makes me, me. Looking back on photos like these really puts into perspective of how much of a journey it’s been. I’ve been so grateful and so blessed.”
Khoury added that the next step in her journey is getting her lip tattooed, which she expressed excitement for in the past. She’s hoping to tattoo her reconstructed lip the same color as her bottom lip to appear more natural, asking for recommendations of tattoo artists in the comments.
“Go hug someone you love today,” she ended her post.
Since the dog attack, Khoury has been documenting her recovery journey on social media. Last month, she posted a TikTok video sharing how intense her first surgery after her life-changing attack was.
“My first surgery was 20 hours!” she revealed. “They did have a lot to do with the surgery. They had to take my skin from my arm, attach it to the lip, funnel a main artery and a vein so that I could feel my lip.
“But I was unconscious for two days, so when I woke up I was very confused. I didn’t know what day it was. It was the trippiest thing,” Khoury said.
“First thing I asked my doctor when I woke up was what he ate during those 20 hours,” she added in the caption.
She underwent her seventh reconstructive surgery in February, telling PEOPLE about the excitement she feels coming close to the end of this lengthy journey.
“Basically, my doctor is recreating the top lip in this surgery — creating a Cupid’s bow and central columns. So kind of making my lip look more aesthetic,” Khoury told PEOPLE, noting that her surgeries typically take all day to complete. “My doctor’s very cautious and wants to do everything perfectly.”
Looking to the future, Khoury says she is eager to put these surgeries behind her and resume the high-velocity lifestyle she led prior to the attack.
“That’s one of the hardest things is just having to sit still and kind of refocus my attention into not being active and hiking, biking, surfing and skating,” she said. “But we’re almost at the finish line.”
Khoury has since told her followers that she’s “obsessed” with the results.