The First African American Face Transplant

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2019

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

In 2013, Robert Chelsea was hit by a drunk driver and sustained third-degree burns on more than half of his body. Nearly six years later, he became the first African American recipient of a full face transplant. We talk with Chelsea and Jamie Ducharme, a Time staff writer who followed his journey, about the procedure and how his story could help encourage organ donation by African Americans. Follow Maddie on Twitter @maddie_sofia. And email the show at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:05.6	Today in the show we meet Robert Chelsea, the first African-American to receive a full-face
0:10.5	transplant.
0:11.5	Hi.
0:12.5	This is Maddie, how are you?
0:14.4	Yes, I'm doing good.
0:15.9	Back in 2013, Robert was hit by a drunk driver while stopped on the side of the road with
0:20.7	car trouble.
0:22.0	His car caught on fire and so did he.
0:24.8	Third degree burns covered more than half of his body.
0:28.1	Robert survived, but he was in the hospital for a year and a half.
0:32.2	And he didn't see what his face looked like for the first eight months.
0:35.8	And then they will be too out of the hallway while being grilled, I saw the reflection of
0:43.2	my face in a aluminum towel holder.
0:48.0	I said to myself, so this is good all the stresses of God.
0:52.9	I had no clue that I had been that's really good.
0:57.8	But I was okay.
0:58.8	I mean I didn't look like, you know, it's kind of a scary kitchen.
1:04.1	One little boy, he said, Dad, Dad, he looks like a zombie.
1:12.1	But for Robert, other things were more important than the way he looked.
1:15.4	Being able to eat and have somewhat normal fashion, I had to pretty much eat like a
1:21.8	car.
	...

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