The ‘guinea pigs’ who had face transplant surgery – podcast
Face transplant patient Robert Chelsea and writer Fay Bound Alberti talk through the promise – and darker side – of this pioneering surgery
In 2019, Robert Chelsea made medical history, becoming the first black patient to ever have a full face transplant.
He had previously suffered from a devastating car crash, leaving his face severely burnt. Once, he recalls to Annie Kelly, a little boy on the street shouted that he ‘looked like a zombie’.