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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Woman’s body rejecting face transplant

In this Feb. 20, 2015, file photo, Charla Nash smiles as her care worker washes her face at her apartment in Boston. (Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
By Pat Eaton-Robb Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut woman who underwent a face transplant five years ago after being attacked by a chimpanzee is back in a Boston hospital after doctors discovered her body is rejecting the transplant.

Charla Nash says doctors have decided to end an experimental drug treatment and put her back on her original medication in the hopes of reversing the rejection.

Nash had been taking part in a military-funded experiment in which doctors at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital tried to wean her off the anti-rejection drugs she had been taking since the 2011 operation.

Nash tells the Associated Press she would appreciate any prayers and is confident her participation in the experiment will provide information to help treat disfigured soldiers returning from war.