Man Receives The First Ever Penis Transplant In The U.S

Thomas Manning, the first man to receive a penis transplant in the US, is hopeful that he can return to normal life once he leaves hospital.

The 64-year-old had his penis reduced to one-inch to prevent a cancerous tumor spreading back in 2012, and it has now been replaced by a dead donor's penis.

Thomas, who had the life changing operation at Massachusetts general hospital in Boston, says that after being unable to have any sort of relationship with a woman for so long, he is excited to get back to being the person he was.

Speaking to The New York Times, the bank worker said: "I want to go back to being who I was. I wouldn't go near anybody. I couldn't have a relationship with anybody. You can't tell a woman, 'I had a penis amputation.'"

"I didn't advertise, but if people asked, I told them the truth. Men judge their masculinity with their bodies."

Credit: The New York Times

Despite what might be a touchy subject for some, Thomas said he wanted to speak out publicly about the operation to help shelve any shame people may feel surrounding genital cancers and injuries.

In total the surgical team behind the operation spent three years preparing for the transplant, which cost $75,000 (£52,164).

The team needed to spend time learning about the intricate anatomy of the organ, as well as performing trial surgeries on six dead donors.

Thomas was also required to prepare for the operation, and so underwent psychological screenings to make sure he was able to deal with the procedure.

He then had to wait until a donor was found with the right blood group and skin tone, which only took two weeks.

Dr. Curtis L. Cetrulo, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and a leader of the surgical team, told The New York Times before the procedure that despite the transplant never being done before, he and his team were confident they could do it successfully.

He said: "We're cautiously optimistic. It's uncharted waters for us."

Doctors are hopeful that Thomas will be able to once again urinate normally in the next few weeks, and regain sexual function within months.

Featured image credit: The New York Times

Topics: US

Mark McGowan

Mark is a journalist at LADbible, who joined in 2015 after a year as a freelance writer. In the past he blogged for independent football fan channel Redmen TV, after graduating from Staffordshire University with degrees in journalism and English literature. He has worked on campaigns such as UOKM8? and IIOC.