African American Man Becomes First To Receive Face Transplant
WCVB Channel 5 Boston/YouTubeRobert Chelsea before his surgery.
This year, Robert Chelsea was given a second chance at a full life and marked a major milestone in medical history in the process. When he received a face transplant earlier this year, Chelsea became the first African American to receive a full face transplant – a fact his doctors are hoping brings organ donation to light.
After being hit by a drunk driver in 2013, Chelsea believed he would never again be able to function normally. The accident had left him with burns over most of his face and neck and had forced him to adapt to uncomfortable new lifestyles. He had to hold his head at awkward angles simply to eat, not to mention the pain he was in.
Besides the fact that facial transplants are rare in their own right, they become even more scarce when it comes to African Americans – as do organ donations in general. Only 17 percent of black patients in need of an organ transplant received one in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. In contrast, 31 percent of white patients received a donation.
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
“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. “Unlike internal organs, the skin tone of the donor may be important to finding a match.”
Now, Chelsea and his doctors are hoping his experience opens people up to the joy that can be given with organ donation.
“I was concerned about humanity way before this surgery,” said Chelsea, who has started a nonprofit called Donor’s Dream. “We must help one another. That’s the way I felt, and this experience has only validated that even more.”
