The very first recipient of a face transplant, age, has passed away. She was 49.

Amiens Hospital released a statement saying that Dinoire died April 22 after a “long illness.” She had the procedure, a huge medical first, back in November 2005.

“In accordance with the will of her relatives, no obituary was published in the press in order to protect their legitimate privacy at that painful time,” the statement said, explaining the lateness of the announcement.

No cause was given in her death, but she is believed to have died from complications from a recent operation. Dinoire rejected transplants last winter, and anti-rejection treatments she had taken had led to two cancers, according to media reports.

Dinoire got the operation because her face had been mauled by a dog. Doctors use the nose, chin and mouth from a brain-dead donor for the surgery instead of using a traditional reconstructive surgery.

It was a major advancement that led to other transplants that involved combining different facial parts, including in the United States.