tore off his eyelids, nose and jaw
February 16, 2009 became a real nightmare for Charla Nash. That day he went to the house of his friend Sandra Harold. In Stamford, Connecticut (USA) Like many other times. But what started as a friendly meeting ended up being A heartbreaking moment that would mark Nash’s life forever.
Unfortunately, during that trip the chimpanzee unexpectedly attacked him, throwing him against his car and dragging him along the ground. The brutality was at its peak. Travis mutilated CharlaHis eyelids, nose, jaw and lips were torn.
This is all based on the weekend of February 14th and 15th, 2009, Travis, the Harold family’s chimpanzee, had been part of the household for over a decade.Adopted three days after birth, he grew up as another member of the family.
Sandra Harold and Charla Nash decided to escape their daily routine for a bit and a trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Montville, Connecticut. Before touring the place, Sandra took her friend to the casino’s beauty salon, a rare outing for the two of them.
However, when he returned on February 16, the situation took a dramatic turn. Sandra Herold found the chimpanzee Travis extremely nervous,
Trying to calm her down, Sandra sneaks a dose of the tranquilizer drug Xanax into her afternoon teaalthough he did not manage to comfort the chimpanzee. The animal, knowing the routine of the house, took Sandra’s keys from the kitchen counter, opened the door and went out into the courtyard.
Concerned about the chimpanzee’s attitude, Sandra asks Charla to help her get the animal back home. To try to charm him, the woman showed him her favorite toy, a Tickle-Me-Elmo doll.
in that moment, The chimpanzee completely changed his attitudeHe stopped on his feet and pounced on her unexpectedly, throwing her against his car and dragging her along the ground. The brutality was at its peak. Travis mutilated CharlaHis eyelids, nose, jaw and lips were torn.
Sandra Harold desperately tries to stop Travishitting it with a shovel and then stabbing it with a butcher knife, but the chimpanzee did not stop attacking. Finally, Sandra ran home and called 911 in desperation.
“He’s killing my friend! Please hurry! He’s eating him!”he screamed, barely understandable due to the panic he was in. When police arrived at the scene, they found Travis wandering around the area covered in blood.
An officer shot at it multiple times, but the injured chimpanzee ran into the house and eventually died in its room. Pieces of flesh, fingers and almost half of the victim’s blood filled the courtyard.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Charla Nash was still alive and managed to grab the officer’s leg when he arrived at her body incredulously. Transferred to the Cleveland Clinic in critical condition three days after the attack, he spent 15 months in intensive care.
A Difficult Recovery
15 years after she suffered the attack that left her unrecognizable, Charla Nash continues to struggle to rebuild her life.Today, the woman who survived the brutal chimpanzee attack lives in a special center, where she receives the care and attention she needs for her multiple surgeries and delicate health condition.
Her current life is marked by resilience and hopeHowever because of the physical and emotional consequences that still continue.
Charla spends her day listening to audio books and doing facial exercises. Although it has lost most of its independence, it has not lost its spirit. “Don’t think about the past and what happened,” advises Charla. “Think about who you are going to be in the future and what you want to do next. Never give up.” Holden.
Despite their efforts, Charla’s life is a constant struggle. “I’ve lost a lot of independence. I could change a tire on my truck and now I can’t even feed myself. It’s very difficult to live. Not even living, half living. Sometimes you want to cry, you want to go out, you want some kind of home. I don’t know what my future is, that’s what scares me,” he confessed to the Boston Herald in 2014.
The uncertainty about their future is a persistent shadow, a constant reminder of the fragility of their situation. That attack had a devastating effect on his health. Charla has undergone countless surgeries, including face and hand transplants, although the latter had to be removed due to infection.
In 2016, he faced a new crisis when his body rejected the face transplantforcing him to be hospitalized immediately. Fortunately, he managed to survive this complication, but the incident added to the uncertainty of his health.