Victim of Chimp Attack Shows Face on Oprah
Oprah
The victim of a brutal chimpanzee attack — in which she lost her nose, eyes and jaw — revealed her disfigured face on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
In February, Charla Nash was mauled by a friend's 200-pound chimpanzee, Travis. Police eventually arrived and shot Travis.
"I don't remember anything," Nash told Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday. "I told the doctor that I don't want to remember because I can't imagine what it was like. If I do start remembering, getting flashbacks, they have medicine to help me with that."
Nash has been hospitalized since the attack at the Cleveland Clinic. She told Winfrey that she's not in pain, but can't breathe through her nose, has to eat through a straw — and doesn't touch her face often.
Nash's family is suing Travis' owner and former employer, Sandra Herold, for $50 million in damages.
"All of Sandy's hopes and prayers are with Charla and her daughter in this challenging time," Robert Golger, Herold's lawyer, said in a statement released on Oprah. "Sandy has always tried to help Charla and wishes her the best."
Golger has maintained that the attack was work-related and it should be treated as a workers' compensation case.
Still, Nash, 56, refuses to let this experience keep her from living life. "I'm the same person I've always been. I just look different," Nash said. "And there's things that happen in life that you can't change it, you know. It's a tragedy. Things happen."
She also talked about her daughter, a high school senior. Nash said she's sorry she can't spend more time with her. "I know she misses me," Nash said. "I miss her, too."
A part of Nash's interview is below. Be advised, the content is graphic:
