Connecticut woman mauled by chimp gets new face

From The AP:

HARTFORD, Conn. — The new face of a Connecticut woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee two years ago was revealed for the first time on August 11, in video and photographs that showed a startling transformation.

The video of the woman, Charla Nash, (pictured) was broadcast on the “Today” show on NBC; the photographs appeared in Hearst Connecticut Newspapers.

Ms. Nash, 57, had a face transplant in May at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She did not appear in person on “Today” because, family members said, she was too weak for an interview. The video was recorded in the hospital; in it, she indicated that she was able to smile and smell. She is also able to eat.

Ms. Nash was attacked in Stamford, Conn., in February 2009 by a friend’s 200-pound chimpanzee; it ripped off her nose, lips, eyelids and hands. The attack left her blind.