In 2013, Robert Chelsea was hit by a drunk driver. The then 62-year-old African American man was left with burns all over his face and body, leaving him permanently disfigured.
Of course, there was a chance that a black donor on the face transplant waiting list would match his skin tone, but it was not something Chelsea could start placing his bets on.
That is, until July 2019. A 62-year-old African American man on the organ donor list died suddenly, according to People. Chelsea, now 68, was surprised yet eternally grateful.
“Losing a loved one and being asked something like this… I can’t imagine,” Chelsea said. “I do feel hopeful that I can pick up some of the pieces that the family may have lost.”
Chelsea definitely has been through it too, though. He waited patiently for six years after that horrific incident. It was a miracle that the stars had seemed to finally align and work in his favor. Of course, he expressed his gratitude for the man’s family as well.
The 16-hour surgery took place at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and it went well. Chelsea is already recovering. He also made history and has officially become the first African American man to have a full face transplant procedure.
It has been no easy feat for Chelsea, this is truly a milestone. And the best, most important part is that he was able to remain healthy throughout the process, receiving compatible tissue that would allow him to function safely and correctly.
In the past, Chelsea has undergone 30 surgeries (in just the last one and a half years) in an attempt to reconstruct his lips, part of his nose, and his left ear. The doctors, unfortunately, failed at these attempts in the past.
Simple tasks like eating and drinking suddenly became a huge burden for Chelsea. In order to make sure the food or drink would stay in his mouth, he would have to fully tilt back his head.
At 68, Robert Chelsea became the first black patient, & the oldest, to receive a full face #transplant. The 16-hour surgery, led by @pomahacMD, was the 9th face transplant procedure at the Brigham & the 15th nationwide. Read the @TIME story to learn more. https://t.co/uu9A1Vv8lw
— Brigham and Women's Hospital (@BrighamWomens) October 24, 2019
Interestingly enough, Chelsea also had the opportunity to get a transplant from a different donor previously. The issue there was that the donor’s skin tone was from a man with much lighter skin. Chelsea was uncomfortable with the thought of turning into a completely different looking person so he passed on the opportunity and took the chance of waiting it out until someone with much closer skin tone became available.
It’s amazing that he followed his gut and took the risk, because he ended up getting lucky! The odds truly did work in his favor.
Unfortunately, this isn’t just a problem for Chelsea. This has been an ongoing issue, with only 17% black patients receiving an organ transplant in 2015. For some context, about 31% of white patients receive an organ transplant.
“It is vitally important for individuals of all races and ethnicities to consider organ donation, including the donation of external grafts, such as face and hands,” said Alexandra Glazier, president and CEO of New England Donor Services.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4AoTVzn2QW/?utm_source=ig_embed
“Unlike internal organs, the skin tone of the donor may be important to finding a match.”
We hope this changes soon. Chelsea is a true miracle!
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