Man receives the first penis transplant in America after cancer battle
Man hopes to find new love after life-changing penis transplant
A CANCER patient who has received the first penis transplant in the United States is in recovery and hopes to have a love-life again.
Thomas Manning underwent a 15-hour procedure after receiving the transplanted penis from a deceased donor last week.
The 64-year-old was suffering from an aggressive and potentially fatal penile cancer, according to .
Thomas, who lives in Massachusetts, admitted that he’ll be lucky to get “75 per cent” of what he used to be.
Dr Curtis Cetrulo, who helped lead the surgical team, said that normal urination should be possible in a few weeks, with sexual function possible in weeks to months.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” said Dr Cetrulo, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, adding that “its uncharted waters for us.”
Mr Manning said he experienced hardly any pain during and after the procedure.
But he was rushed to the operating room after beginning to haemorrhage the day after surgery.
Although his recovery has been smoother since, he still isn’t ready to take a close look at the transplant.
The bank courier revealed that he wasn’t in a relationship when the cancer was discovered, and the amputation made new relationships impossible.
The donor penis came from the New England Organ Bank.
It told the newspaper that the donor’s family wished to remain anonymous, but had delivered well wishes to Mr Manning.
The transplant took three years of preparation, including operations on corpses, before the team was ready to perform transplants.
Around a dozen surgeons and 30 other health care workers were present during the operation.
Dr Cetrulo said his team will likely perfect its technique on civilians before providing transplants for injured veterans.
He said the Defence Department doesn’t “like to have wounded warriors undergo unproven techniques.”
The world’s first penis transplant was performed at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa in December 2014.
In March, a 44-year old after a bionic penis was attached when his own was ripped off in a childhood accident.
The security guard from Edinburgh, Scotland, Mohammed Abad, lost his penis in a car crash and popped his cherry with sex worker Charlotte Rose.
“It was great. I’ve been waiting for this day since I was 18,” Mohammed Abad told The Sun.
“But now a big burden is off my back and I’m so happy.”