Woman whose face was ‘ripped off’ by chimpanzee shares unbelievable transformation
Madison Burgess
Featured Image Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images/60 Minutes Australia
A woman who was left fighting for her life after a chimpanzee attack has shared what she looks like now, 14 years after a groundbreaking face transplant.
For those who aren’t familiar with the infamous story, Charla Nash, who is now 71, was attacked at her friend Sandra Herold’s home in Connecticut in 2009, by her pet chimpanzee, Travis.
The horrifying ordeal made headlines at the time, after Nash’s ‘face was ripped off,’ including her lips, eyelids, nose, and even her hands.
Herold called the emergency services and was heard screaming that she thought her friend was dead and telling responders that the crazed animal was out of control and ‘began eating’ her.
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Although severely disfigured from the attack, Nash miraculously lived and then in 2011 went on to have a third-of-its kind full face transplant and was fitted with glass eyes.
And now, more than a decade after the procedure, she has opened up to 60 Minutes Australia about what life is like now and how the transplant changed her life.
When speaking about the attack, Nash said: “I was amazed that I was still alive."
Her daughter, Brianna added that in the aftermath, she was able to see 'the bone structure of her cheeks and it looked like her face — it was disfigured — but it was her face'.
Charla also told the publication, about the fact she survived: “It's a wonderful thing and words can’t express the gratitude that I had this opportunity to live a better life.”
Nash explained how she is slowly getting the feeling back in her face and lives in an assisted living facility where she has daily rehabilitation and speech therapy.
“The nose and the upper lip I can't feel yet, but little by little it's coming back, I can feel my cheek and forehead, so it's getting there.
“I was only drinking everything from a straw and my goal is to be able to eat again.”
Nash added: "Life's getting better, it is coming around slowly but yeah it's getting better, It's hard but it's better.”
Nash also said she was most excited to be 'able to eat some food', more specifically pizza and steak.
Before the surgery, she wore a veil for years to hide the disfigurement.
She emotionally added: “It's amazing with the human spirit, just how deep it goes. It's not something that you can see. It's something that's just there, and it's powerful.”