A 200-pound pet chimpanzee, named Travis, went berserk in February 2009 after its owner asked Charla Nash to help get the animal back into her Stamford, CT house.
Charla Nash nearly died when the 200-pound chimpanzee attacked her, ripping away her eyes, nose, lips and hands and leaving her blind.
But the Stamford woman looks almost normal in an undated photo released Thursday by the hospital that performed a full face transplant on her in late May.
Nash’s eyelids are closed, her face appears a bit puffy, and her mouth droops a bit, but the skin color is a close match with her own.
Over the next several months, the 57-year-old woman will develop more control over facial muscles and more feeling, letting her breathe through her nose and develop her sense of smell, doctors said. She remains blind.
Nash underwent a double hand transplant at the same time as the face transplant, but several days after the operation, she developed pneumonia and experienced a drop in blood pressure. That compromised blood flow to the hands, and they had to be removed.
Nash’s family is suing Herold’s estate for $50 million and wants to sue the state for $150 million, contending that state officials failed to prevent the attack.
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