Licking One's Chimp Wounds

Sometimes a positive outlook can go a long way toward recovery.

Consider the case of Charla Nash. In February, the world collectively gasped when it learned of Nash’s horrific attack at the hands of a friend’s chimpanzee. She was visiting her friend and business associate Sandra Herold in Stamford, Conn., when Herold's 200-pound chimp, Travis, lunged at her, ripping off her hands, nose, lips and eyes. Today, a mere four months after the nearly unimaginable incident, Nash is recuperating faster than expected, seemingly fueled in part by her indomitable spirit.

"Her acceptance [of her injuries] just shows her courage and fortitude. She's not concerned about what happened, she just wants to get fixed," her twin brother, Michael Nash, told the New York Daily News.

Her family says she has no memory of the attack — and no interest in learning the truly gory details. "Her psychiatrist asked her if she wanted to know anything about the event. She said, 'Nope. That's in the past,'" her other brother, Stephen Nash, told the News.

The two brothers have taken turns caring for Charla at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. They read her letters of support that have poured in from people around the world who were moved by her ordeal, and her brothers say they have helped to buoy her spirits, even though she has always been a naturally upbeat person. "When she gets knocked down, she gets back up,” Stephen Nash said. "That’s the way she is."

Apparently her hopeful disposition is one thing the chimp could not attack.