{"id":1261,"date":"2025-06-22T13:27:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T13:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailylifee.pw\/?p=1261"},"modified":"2025-06-22T13:27:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T13:27:05","slug":"woman-whose-face-was-mauled-by-her-friends-chimpanzee-shares-transplant-results-that-brought-her-life-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailylifee.pw\/?p=1261","title":{"rendered":"Woman Whose Face Was ‘Mauled’ by Her Friend’s Chimpanzee Shares Transplant Results That Brought Her ‘Life Back’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Travis the chimpanzee knocked Nash to the ground and\u00a0launched a frenzied assault\u00a0on her. The animal “mauled” her, ripping off her eyelids, nose, lips, hands, and much of her scalp.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Charla<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Her friend tried desperately to stop the attack, beating the chimp with a shovel and stabbing him with a butcher knife. Nothing worked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Travis's<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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By the time police arrived,\u00a0Travis was attempting\u00a0to open a patrol car door while his face and body were covered in Nash\u2019s blood. Officers shot but he escaped into the bush.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“He’s killing my friend! He ripped her face off! He’s eating her!” Herold\u00a0screamed\u00a0in a chilling 911 call.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sandra<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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As a group of officers searched for him in the woods,\u00a0the chimpanzee\u00a0scampered unnoticed into the house where he knuckle-walked through the kitchen, and into his bedroom before grasping his bedpost and died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Nash was barely alive\u00a0when 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Charla<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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An interview with 60 Minutes Australia revealed that, in 2011,\u00a0Nash underwent\u00a0a pioneering 20-hour surgical procedure at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, led by Dr. Bohdan Pomahac.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Surgeons used powerful microscopes to reconnect the complex network of blood vessels and nerves. It took six hours to attach just the hands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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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,” she\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Charla<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Unfortunately, while Nash’s face transplant was successful,\u00a0her body rejected\u00a0the new hands after she developed pneumonia and sepsis. Doctors were forced to remove them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Charla<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Despite the setback, Nash\u00a0expressed\u00a0gratitude for the opportunity to live a new life:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“It’s a wonderful thing, and learn to express the gratitude but I had this opportunity to live a better life. [sic]”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Charla<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When the interviewer asked Nash if the surgery gave her more than just a face, she agreed and\u00a0added\u00a0that it brought her “life back.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Today, Nash lives in an assisted care facility,\u00a0undergoing daily rehabilitation\u00a0and speech therapy. She’s preparing for another double-hand transplant and hopes to receive a second prosthetic eye.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Charla<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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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.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Charla<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Now, Nash is suing the state of Connecticut, alleging it\u00a0failed 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In a moving appearance\u00a0on 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Charla<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“So the veil is lifted,” Winfrey\u00a0said\u00a0gently, as Nash calmly revealed her new face. “Many people around the world want to see you,” she\u00a0continued. Nash simply\u00a0replied, “I did hear that.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Oprah<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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According to PETA, Nash’s story\u00a0has been revisited in media, including the docuseries “Chimp Crazy,” which explores the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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PETA further reported that Travis the chimpanzee had long shown signs of instability. In 2003, he escaped and ran loose for two hours.\u00a0Animal control warned Herold\u00a0then that the chimpanzee posed a public safety risk, but no official action was taken.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Travis<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Travis<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWoman Whose Face Was 'Mauled' by Her Friend's Chimpanzee Shares Transplant Results That Brought Her 'Life Back' - My Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dailylifee.pw\/?p=1261\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Woman Whose Face Was 'Mauled' by Her Friend's Chimpanzee Shares Transplant Results That Brought Her 'Life Back' - 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