”I don’t want to remember”

She was transferred to the Cleveland Clinic, where she became a candidate for an experimental face transplant. Meanwhile, her family created a trust fund to help with her “unfathomable” medical expenses and to support her young daughter.

On November 11, 2009, Charla bravely revealed her face to the world for the first time since the attack — appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Despite everything, her relatives said she was not in physical pain and remained hopeful about her recovery.

”I don’t want to remember, because I couldn’t imagine what it was like,” she told Oprah. ”I want to get healthy. I don’t want to wake up with nightmares.”

In 2011, in a groundbreaking procedure, Charla Nash received a full face transplant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The surgery lasted over 20 hours. The world watched in awe.

The woman who had once been called ”unrecognizable” was now a living miracle.

Photos of her transformation before and after the attack continue to circulate online — haunting reminders of the unimaginable trauma she survived… and the unbreakable spirit that carried her through it.

”I’ve always known that I’ve been strong,” she said. ”If I couldn’t do anything, I just took my time, took a breath and then tried it again.”