Encomium
A 64 year old cancer sufferer, Thomas Manning, has received America’s first ever penis transplant after undergoing experimental surgery to attach a dead man’s member.
Mr. Manning underwent the revolutionary operation at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, enduring 15-hours on the operating table.
Mr Manning, who is not married and does not have any children, said in a statment,“In 2012, my life changed forever when I suffered a debilitating work accident, followed by a devastating cancer diagnosis.
‘Today, I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries, particularly for our service members who put their lives on the line and suffer serious damage as a result.’
Doctors first noticed Mr Manning was suffering from cancer after he suffered severe injuries in an accident at work involving heavy equipment. During his treatment, medics noticed a growth on his penis and he was later diagnosed with an aggressive form of penile cancer. To save his life doctors were forced to remove most of Mr Manning’s penis, leaving him with just a stump about one-inch in length.
He said, “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.”
However, Mr Manning never gave up hope of a transplant – despite the fact surgeons had not even considered such a procedure at the time – and a year after his surgery, doctors got in touch.
He endured a grueling year of tests and psychological evaluations, but was eventually put on the waiting list and after just two weeks a donor with the right blood type and skin color was found. During surgery doctors connected nerves, veins and arteries from the donor penis to Mr Manning.
While Mr Manning is breaking ground in the US, he is by no means the first to have such an operation worldwide.
Last year a 21-year-old man in South Africa underwent nine-hours of surgery to have a donor member attached, after he was left with just a 1cm stump for a penis due to a botched circumcision.
Miraculously after his life-changing surgery he later announced he had impregnated his partner.
However, not all of the donations have a happy ending – sadly ten years ago, a man in China received a transplant, but asked surgeons to remove the donated penis two weeks after the operation.
