{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Robert Chelsea","description":"Today we welcome Robert Chelsea  Brigham Surgeons Perform First Full Face Transplant for Black Patient Boston, MA \u2014 Robert Chelsea, 68, became the first black patient, and the oldest, to receive a full face transplant in a procedure at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital this July. Chelsea, a Los Angeles area resident, suffered burns over 60 percent of his body and face after his car was struck by a drunk driver in 2013. The 16-hour surgery, involving a team of over 45 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, residents and research fellows and led by Bohdan Pomahac, MD, was the ninth face transplant procedure at the Brigham and the 15th nationwide. \u201cDespite being the oldest face transplant patient at 68, Robert is progressing and recovering remarkably fast,\u201d said Pomahac, the Roberta and Stephen R. Weiner Distinguished Chair in Surgery and director of Plastic Surgery Transplantation at Brigham Health. \u201cWe are looking forward to seeing a significant improvement in Robert\u2019s quality of life.\u201d The wait for a donor was longer than that of previous Brigham face transplant recipients due to the effort to find a match that would work for Chelsea\u2019s skin tone. Chelsea is the first known black full face transplant recipient. Another black patient in Paris received a partial face transplant in 2007. \u201cIt is vitally important for individuals of all races and ethnicities to consider organ donation, including the donation of external grafts, such as face and hands,\u201d said Alexandra Glazier, President and CEO of New England Donor Services. \u201cUnlike internal organs, the skin tone of the donor may be important to finding a match.\u201d \u201cMay God bless the donor and his family who chose to donate this precious gift and give me a second chance,\u201d said Chelsea. \u201cWords cannot describe how I feel. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and feel very blessed to receive such an amazing gift.\u201d Chelsea\u2019s injuries stemmed from a fiery freeway accident outside of LA in August 2013. Chelsea was sitting in his overheated vehicle on the side of the road when his car was struck by a drunk driver. The vehicle burst into flames, burning Chelsea and drastically altering both his physical function and his appearance. Chelsea remained in a coma for six months and hospitalized for a year and a half. During that time, Chelsea underwent more than 30 surgeries. His lips, part of his nose, and left ear were unable to be reconstructed. After evaluation by Dr. Pomahac, and an extensive screening process, he was listed for a face transplant in March 2018. Data from a follow-up study of face transplant recipient outcomes, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the first Brigham face transplant patients experienced robust return of motor and sensory function of their face, as well as functionality, which allowed them to socially reintegrate in a way that would not have been possible before the transplant. These data indicate that Chelsea is likely to achieve near normal sensation and about 60 percent restoration of facial motor function within a year, including the ability to eat, smile and speak normally. \u201cOur previous experience has demonstrated that face transplantation is a viable option for patients with severe disfigurement and limited function who have no alternatives,\u201d said Pomahac. \u201cAs we continue to expand this treatment to more patients, we are exploring the ways in which we can quantify how much benefit our patients receive as well as identifying opportunities to limit the risks of this transplant through new immunosuppression protocols.\u201d The Brigham has long been recognized as one of the world\u2019s leaders in transplantation, having performed the first successful human organ donor transplant, a kidney, in 1954, the first heart transplant in New England in 1984, and the first heart-lung transplant in Massachusetts in 1992. The Brigham performed the nation\u2019s first full face transplant in 2011, and the first bilateral hand transplant in New England in 2011. \u201cI am forever indebted to Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital, the most amazing surgical and nurse team ever assembled. The place oozes compassion,\u201d said Chelsea.\u201d More information about Robert Chelsea and face transplantation at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The B.I.STANDER Podcast is a conversational podcast unique to Bainbridge Island and Seattle Washington, that covers the Arts, Society &  Human Interest stories. The intent is to introduce interesting people, ideas, and conversations. We are not perfect and that's OK! Thank you for your support! The B.I.Stander Podcast is a listener supported show, please consider subscribing.  Thank you & tell them you heard it on: The BISTANDER Podcast! Blue Canary Auto NOW ALSO in Bremerton! Sound Reprographics Additional sound effects by: https:\/\/www.zapsplat.com\/ Support the Show on PATREON ","author_name":"The B.I.STANDER Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/thebistanderpodcast.libsyn.com\/website","html":"