Charla Nash received a groundbreaking face transplant in 2011, after a devastating attack by a friend’s chimpanzee. Unfortunately, doctors say her body has started to reject the transplant.
That’s according to the Associated Press. Nash’s transplant and follow-up care were funded by the Pentagon, as the AP explained last year, part of an effort to pioneer treatments for wounded soldiers. Doctors were attempting an experimental treatment in hopes of weaning her off a lifetime of anti-rejection drugs, which come with the risk of serious side effects.
“They asked me, could they? I said, ‘Yeah, I’d be thrilled to help out in any way I could,’” she told the AP.
But with her body beginning to reject the new face, they’ll be putting her back on her original regimen to try to stop the process. Nash said she’d “do it all over again,” and she’s hopeful that the experiment has been helpful for injured vets.