Charla Nash, a Connecticut mother, has bravely recounted the horrific 2009 chimpanzee attack that changed her life forever. In a heartfelt interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Charla reflected on the traumatic experience, sharing the haunting sound of the chimp screaming during the incident. She recalled, “The thing I heard the most was the chimp screaming, screaming, and screaming.”
Despite having endured substantial physical and emotional trauma, Charla offered words of encouragement to those facing difficult times, urging them to take a step back and have hope for a better tomorrow, saying, “Take some time, relax, take the day off, and it will get better. It will get better if you want it to get better.”
Charla’s life took a drastic turn when she was viciously attacked by her friend Sandra’s pet chimp, Travis, which had been raised like a child. The savage assault left Charla with critical injuries, including the loss of her face, hands, and eyesight. Tragically, after the incident, Travis was shot and killed by the police, while Sandra, who tried to save Charla, passed away from an aneurysm just over a year later.
In the years since the attack, Charla has shown remarkable resilience. Although she lives in a nursing home and has faced challenges such as complications from a hand transplant rejection, she remains hopeful about her future. “Life is getting better. It is coming around. Slowly,” she expressed, emphasizing her ongoing recovery journey.
Her relationship with her daughter Briana has been healing, as Briana noted, “It is amazing, the human spirit, how deep it goes.” Charla’s strength not only serves as an inspiration to others but also reflects the incredible capacity of the human spirit to endure and rise above even the most devastating circumstances.