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The Documentary: I am Robert Chelsea

Robert Chelsea

23/02/2021 GMT

I am Robert Chelsea

BBC World Service - The Documentary, I am Robert Chelsea

The remarkable story of the first African-American to have a full face transplant.

The first African-American to have a face transplant tells his own story - in a documentary about faith, identity and character. Robert Chelsea suffered horrific burns after his stationary car was hit by a truck with a drunk driver at the wheel, in Los Angeles in 2013. He survived and went ahead with a series of demanding surgical operations at a Boston hospital in an attempt to restore his appearance. A shortage of black donors meant it was a long wait for his doctors to find even a partial match for his skin colour. The operation was a success. Although he still has difficulty speaking, he can now eat and drink without difficulty. In a moving narrative, Robert, his friends, family and doctors reflect on his remarkable journey. They pay tribute to a man whose first thoughts are always of others, and who has borne his afflictions with remarkable fortitude and good humour.

(Photo: Robert Chelsea. Credit: BBC)

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