Years after surviving a horrifying chimpanzee attack that left her without a face or hands, the 55-year-old woman is revealing the results of a groundbreaking face transplant, one she says gave her more than just a new appearance: it gave her life back.
In February 2009, Charla Nash, a single mother, was called to her friend Sandra Herold’s home in Stamford to help coax her pet chimpanzee, Travis, back indoors. But within seconds, the 240-pound animal turned on her.
Travis the Chimpanzee knocked Nash to the ground and launched a frenzied assault on her, ripping off her eyelids, nose, lips, hands, and much of her scalp.
Her friend tried desperately to stop the attack, beating the chimp with a shovel and stabbing him with a butcher knife. Nothing worked.
By the time police arrived, Travis was attempting to open a patrol car door while his face and body were covered in Nash’s blood. Officers shot but he escaped into the bush.
“He’s killing my friend! He ripped her face off! He’s eating her!” Herold screamed in a chilling 911 call.
As a group of officers searched for him in the woods, the Chimpanzee scampered unnoticed into the house where he knuckle-walked through the kitchen, and into his bedroom before grasping his bedpost, and died.
Nash was barely alive when help reached her. She had lost nearly half her blood and was unrecognizable. But in an extraordinary turn of events, she survived and began a medical journey that would make history.
An interview with 60 Minutes Australia revealed that, in 2011, Nash underwent a pioneering 20-hour surgical procedure at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, led by Dr. Bohdan Pomahac.
A team of more than 30 doctors and specialists worked to transplant her entire face, including her upper palate and teeth, as well as attach two donor hands.
Surgeons used powerful microscopes to reconnect the complex network of blood vessels and nerves. It took six hours to attach just the hands.
Nash’s daughter, Brianna, remembered the moment doctors proposed the surgery, “the possibility of having a face transplant was phenomenal. It just I hadn’t I wouldn’t have even thought of it. [sic]” she said.
Unfortunately, while Nash’s face transplant was successful, her body rejected the new hands after she developed pneumonia and sepsis. Doctors were forced to remove them.
Despite the setback, Nash expressed gratitude for the opportunity to live a new life:
“It’s a wonderful thing, and learn to express the gratitude but I had this opportunity to live a better life. [sic]”
Today, Nash lives in an assisted care facility, undergoing daily rehabilitation and speech therapy. She’s preparing for another double-hand transplant and hopes to receive a second prosthetic eye.
But more than anything, she dreams of one day riding a horse again, a passion she held before the attack. Meanwhile, Herold died from a brain aneurysm 12 months after the attack.
Now, Nash is suing the state of Connecticut, alleging it failed to act on warnings about Travis’s behavior. With her medical bills continuing to mount, she hopes the lawsuit will help cover long-term care and future surgeries.
In a moving appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, as shown on ABC News’ YouTube channel, Nash removed the hat and veil she wore to conceal her disfigurement. Viewers were warned that the images could be upsetting.
“So the veil is lifted,” Winfrey said gently, as Nash calmly revealed her new face. “Many people around the world want to see you,” she continued. Nash simply replied, “I did hear that.”
According to PETA, Nash’s story has been revisited in media, including the docuseries “Chimp Crazy”, which explores the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets.
PETA further reported that Travis the Chimpanzee had long shown signs of instability. In 2003, he escaped and ran loose for two hours. Animal control warned Herold then that the Chimpanzee posed a public safety risk, but no official action was taken.
By 2009, Travis was morbidly obese and largely confined indoors, drinking wine, eating junk food, and watching TV, far removed from the life nature intended.
Nash’s story, though deeply tragic, is also one of extraordinary resilience. From the brink of death to the frontlines of medical science, Nash’s journey continues to inspire.
