Hesselblad was born on 29 May 1906 in Malmö Saint Petri Parish (Malmö S:t Petri församling), Skåne County, Sweden,[1] the son of Frans Gustaf Hesselblad, a factory manager, and his wife Elise Josefsson.

He received a Licentiate of Medical Science degree from Lund University in 1933.

[2] Hesselblad held various doctor positions between 1933 and 1938, and served as first assistant physician in Visby in 1939 (acting in 1938).

[2] He was appointed army surgeon in the III Military District Staff in 1945 and became byråöverläkare in the Medical Board of the Swedish Armed Forces in 1953[2] and thus also became a member of the Medical Preparedness Committee of the National Swedish Board of Health (Medicinalstyrelsens sjukvårdsberedskapsnämnd) from the same year.

[4][5] Hesselblad died on 7 March 1989 in Oscar Parish, Stockholm.