Face transplant recipient says he’s still shocked by own reflection four years later

When Robert Chelsea looks in the mirror, he says he sees “another person” staring back — four years after he made history as the oldest person and first black patient to undergo a full face transplant.

The Los Angeles man has been gradually recovering from the grueling 16-hour surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in 2019, after suffering horrific burns to 60% of his body in a fiery car wreck years earlier.

Chelsea said the swelling has gone down and he has regained some muscle strength in his lips. He’s also been able to grow a beard on his new face.

“The face feels fine,” Chelsea said in an interview with KTLA marking the four-year anniversary of his life-changing transplant. “When I look in the mirror, I see another person, no doubt about that.”

Yet the historic face transplant recipient said he’s still shocked by his own reflection, which looks unfamiliar to him each time anew.

“I know it’s me, but I’m looking at another person,” Chelsea said.

To prevent his body from rejecting the new face and to ward off infections, Chelsea takes a dozen immunosuppressant medications — enough to fill a small suitcase — each day, and spends about $5,500 per month on medical bills.

But Chelsea takes all his challenges in stride.

“It’s all good,” he said.

Chelsea was driving home from church in 2013 when his car overheated and he pulled over on a freeway shoulder. As he waited for roadside assistance, a drunk driver slammed into his car, which then exploded into a fireball.

Chelsea narrowly escaped death but spent six months in a coma.

Doctors performed more than 30 reconstructive surgeries on the injured man but were unable to save his lips, nose and left ear.

Years of tests, physical and psychological evaluations followed until March 2018, when Chelsea was listed for a face transplant.

Because the organ donation rate is low in the US — especially in the black community — Chelsea had to wait longer than usual for a new face.

“Because I’m black, I happened to need a black face so I’m very fortunate,” he said. “If someone needs a kidney or a liver or a lung, it wouldn’t matter.”

Finally in July 2019, a suitable face matching the patient’s complexion came along, allowing the transplant to go forward.

At age 68, Chelsea became the oldest patient — and first black person — to undergo a full face transplant.

In 2007, a black patient in France received a partial face transplant. To date, 48 face transplants have been performed worldwide on patients ranging in age from 19 to 60. Several have died because of an infection or rejection, according to the Mayo Clinic.

After the successful operation by a 45-person medical team, Chelsea released a statement thanking the family of the donor for their “precious gift.”

“Words cannot describe how I feel,” Chelsea said at the time. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude and feel very blessed to receive such an amazing gift.”

Since his life-changing surgery, Chelsea has become an advocate for organ donations. He also has been visiting schools as a guest speaker to encourage children to be kind to people who look different.