Imagine looking in the mirror and not recognizing yourself. That’s the daily reality for one man who made history as the first African American to receive a face transplant.
Robert Chelsea has spent the last 4.5 years with someone else’s face. For the entire experience, he is thankful.
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“This journey has been wonderful for me,” he said.
In 2013, a car crash in California with a drunk driver left Chelsea’s car in flames. He escaped but was badly hurt all over his body.
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“My lips burned off and part of my tongue as well," he said.
Chelsea remembers the night visibly on the freeway.
“The impact of my car and his truck, my car went up in the air, came down and a couple of seconds later, blew up,” Chelsea said. “I was all mangled. I looked like a Halloween mask before.”
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Six years later in 2019, the Los Angeles native went to Boston for a 16-hour face transplant surgery, making him the first African American to do so.
“My nose is another person’s nose, my forehead is that other person’s, cheeks, chins, lips," Chelsea said.
He joked about having a nose that likes to run, so he keeps tissues handy.
At 73 years old, he’s now an advocate for people needing transplants.
He’s visiting South Florida to shoot a documentary that shares his experience. Ask him, and he’ll tell you he’s grateful for what he’s been through.
“I have been enlightened, my life has been enhanced,” Chelsea said. “This having a face transplant is one aspect of something new and great that can help so many people.”
Chelsea underwent numerous surgeries all over his body, and he deals daily with medications and therapy. He even had to learn how to eat all over again. Through it all, he remains joyful.
His personal goal now is a motto he shares with others: “Just let your light shine.”
