Charla Nash, Victim of Chimpanzee Attack, Looks Forward to Her New Life

Charla Nash, a 57-year old woman who received a full face transplant in May, has released the first photos of her new face, two years she was disfigured by a chimp attack.

Nash underwent the 20-hour face transplant surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., where two previous face transplant surgeries have been performed.

"I will now be able to do things I once took for granted," Nash said in a statement.

"I will be able to smell. I will be able to eat normally. I will no longer be disfigured. I will have lips and will speak clearly once again. I will be able to kiss and hug loved ones."

In 2009, Nash was mauled by a 200-pound chimpanzee while visiting a friend -- who kept the chimp as a pet -- in Stanford, Conn. She lost her hands, lips, and nose in the attack, and was left blind after her eyes were removed due to infection. The animal was eventually shot and killed by police.

The surgery was not limited to the facial transplant - Nash's hands and other tissues, provided by the same donor, were also replaced.

While the hand replacement surgery was initially successful, complications from pneumonia prevented them from thriving and they both had to be removed.

If a suitable donor is available, the hand transplant can be re-attempted, Reuters reported.

In a statement released by the hospital, Nash said, "Losing the new hands is just a bump in the road of my recovery. I believe that one day I'll have two hands to help me live as a blind person with confidence."