68-year-old Robert Chelsea waited six years for a face transplant procedure and has finally gotten it.
What We Know:
- In 2013, Robert was on the side of the freeway waiting for his car to cool down. Unfortunately, a drunk driver hit his car, leaving Robert engulfed in flames, according to the Sun.
- This accident left 60 percent of his face and body burned. He lost an ear, lips, and a part of his nose. He was in a six-month coma and went through more than 30 surgeries in one and a half years.
- The procedure was expected to take place in 2018 but doctors hadn’t received a donor with the same skin tone. Only about 14 percent of donors are people of color which made it very difficult to find a close enough match. Robert even turned down some donors because the skin tone was too fair.
- Luckily in July, doctors were able to find a donor that matched. Robert underwent a 16-hour face transplant with 45 medics and support staff and made a quick recovery.
Robert said: “This experience has been an incredible journey for me, filled at times with many challenges.”
