Charla Nash's life forever changed last February when she visited a friend's home in Connecticut and was attacked by the person's 200lb pet chimpanzee. In the horrific accident, the animal ripped the poor woman's face apart, leaving her with no nose, no lips, and no eyes.
Today, for the first time, she speaks on The Oprah Winfrey Show about the terrible ordeal. It is amazing to hear her story and remarkable that despite the terrible adversity she has had to overcome, she can still remain so upbeat.
Charla, who permanently lives in a hospital in Cleveland, isn't aware of the full extent of her injuries, as she won't often feel her face and asks others not to describe them to her. She drinks all of her meals through a small hole where her mouth used to be, and while it seems impossible, Charla hopes for the day that she can have "a hot dog or piece of pizza."
The doctor who treated Charla when she was first brought into the emergency room explains that paramedics on the scene said her hands looked like they had gone through meat grinders and that her fingers were thrown about the room. He goes on to say:
"The monkey had ripped off her entire upper jaw, had ripped off her nose, which as hanging by a thread. We found extensive dirt, chimp fur, and chimp teeth implanted in her bone."
Though Charla can't remember exactly what happened the morning she lost her face to this animal, the chilling 911 call from her friend, Herold, paints a devastating picture. The woman screams into the phone that the animal is "eating" her friend and begs the operator to send the police to shoot the chimp.
Now, as she spends her days about the hospital, her face veiled as to not "scare" other people, she relishes in the small moments she gets to spend with her 17-year-old daughter and hopes that one day, she might receive a face and hand transplant.
Wow. So brave.
It's one of the most heartbreaking stories we have ever read and to see and hear how brave this woman is is truly inspiring. We just hope there comes a day where she can get back to a normal life. She deserves that much, considering what she has been through.
CLICK HERE to check out a picture of Miz Nash after the attack.
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