From Tragedy to Transplant: Charla Nash’s Life-Changing Surgery and Ongoing Rehabilitation

A woman who suffered devastating injuries in a chimpanzee attack has shared what her life looks like 16 years later, after undergoing a groundbreaking face transplant.

In February 2009, Charla Nash—now 71—was attacked at a home in Connecticut by Travis, a chimpanzee owned by her friend, Sandra Herold. During the incident, Nash sustained catastrophic facial injuries and severe damage to her hands. Herold tried to stop the animal, including striking it with a shovel and later using a large knife, but the attack continued until police arrived and shot the chimpanzee. Nash was rushed to hospital in critical condition and fought for her life.

Two years later, in 2011, Nash underwent a full face transplant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It was the hospital’s third procedure of its kind, and she was also fitted with glass eyes.

Now, reflecting on the surgery 16 years after the attack, Nash said the transplant “brought my life back,” and expressed deep gratitude to the surgeons. Speaking to 60 Minutes Australia, she said the opportunity gave her the chance to live a better life, adding that words could not fully capture her appreciation.

Nash said she has been gradually regaining sensation in parts of her face and has started eating solid food again. While she still has limited feeling in some areas, she explained that the sensation is slowly returning—little by little—and that being able to eat normally has been a major personal goal after a long period of relying on a straw.

Living in an assisted care center, Nash continues daily rehabilitation and speech therapy. She described her progress as slow but steady, acknowledging the challenges while emphasizing that life has been improving.

The facial transplant was funded by the U.S. military as part of efforts to learn how such procedures might help wounded veterans. Since then, Nash has regularly undergone medical testing, including scans and examinations designed to monitor how well her brain is adapting to the transplant, how effectively blood is reaching the new tissue, and how healing and function are progressing around areas such as her mouth and eyelids.

While transplants to her hands were not successful due to rejection, the facial surgery was considered successful. Nash is now blind after her eyes were removed following a disease transmitted during the attack.

Authorities later suggested the chimpanzee may have mistaken Nash—who was familiar to the animal—for an intruder because she arrived with a new hairstyle. The chimpanzee had been raised in Connecticut by Herold, who treated him like a family member. Weighing about 200 pounds, Travis was widely believed to be unusually domesticated—he could open doors, drink from a glass, eat at the table, get dressed, and even use a computer.

In the period leading up to the attack, Travis reportedly tried to leave the house by taking Herold’s car keys and attempting to use them on multiple vehicles. Herold attempted to bring him back inside and gave him an iced tea containing Xanax. Investigators also noted the medication—commonly prescribed for anxiety in humans—may have contributed to the chimp’s agitation.

Nash, who previously competed as a barrel racer and horse jumper, said the experience has forced her to become more patient because she now must ask for help instead of doing everything independently. Even so, she tries to focus on the future and has expressed a dream of eventually living on a farm in a small town once her medical testing is complete.

In earlier interviews, Nash said the attack dramatically changed her independence and social life, noting that people were often afraid to come near her. She also said she hoped one day to live at home rather than in a facility, emphasizing that she has never seen herself as someone who gives up. Nash raised her daughter, Briana, on her own.

Nash also recalled that she never felt comfortable with Travis being confined in her friend’s home. Sandra Herold died in 2010 from an aneurysm. Nash said she had often looked at the chimpanzee in his cage and felt sorry for him, while also worrying about the danger of keeping such an animal in a private residence. As she put it, despite how appealing wild animals can seem, they are not meant to be pets.

After the attack, Nash’s family sought permission to sue the state of Connecticut for $150 million for failing to seize the chimpanzee beforehand. The request was denied, with the state claims commissioner citing that private ownership of chimpanzees was not prohibited under state law at the time.

Nash later received $4 million in compensation through a settlement from Herold’s estate. Court documents outlined the settlement as including $3.4 million in real estate, $331,000 in cash, $140,000 in machinery and equipment, and $44,000 in vehicles.