First Penis Transplant in America

“There are many like it, but this one is mine,” is what most men probably say about their family jewels. Most of us are fortunate enough not to ever lose our precious baby maker but what if accidents or sickness force you to do so? Every year, there are a few unfortunate few souls that have to experience such a tragic loss.

Thomas Manning was one such unfortunate soul. He is a 64-year-old bank employee that had the majority of his penis removed to prevent a rare tumor from spreading to the rest of his body. Manning was left with a one inch stump which, unsurprisingly, caused a great deal of stress, depression and hardship in his life. Manning told the New York Times that he “couldn’t have a relationship with anybody” since he didn’t feel comfortable telling anybody about his “penis amputation.”

Manning continued to search for ways to live life normally again but felt that he could never do so until his manhood is fully functioning again. Luckily for him, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A surgical team agreed to work with Manning and trained for 3 years to prepare for a penis transplant operation. During this time, the surgical team practiced on dozens of cadavers while Manning went through psychological evaluation to ensure that he could handle the transplant process.

After  a long waiting period, Manning finally received word that a donor with the right blood group and skin tone was available. Curtis Certulo led the surgical team which cost about $75,000 and did not necessarily guarantee a successful outcome. Nevertheless, Dr. Certulo remained “cautiously optimistic” about the operation. Luckily, the procedure was a success and Manning is now simply waiting for a full recovery and the doctors expect no major complications.

Penis transplantation has actually been used on many patients around the world before Manning but the success rate of the procedure varies widely regardless of location. Dr. Certulo himself has performed this operation on other patients before Manning and recounts some of his past experience about how patients recovered from the operation. Some patients experience complete organ rejection, even though the organ was deemed compatible, while others recovered without any complications and had a fully functioning penis after healing. Even if the operation goes smoothly and without a hitch, some patients would actually come back and ask for the transplanted penis to be cut off again. This could be due to any severe psychological problems of the recipient and their spouse brought on by the stress of the ordeal.

Penis transplant was intended for military veterans who sustained severe pelvic injuries that either destroyed or mangled their genitals enough that it is unusable. However, patients like Manning who developed cancerous tumors in their genitals can also benefit from this procedure given that they make a full recovery physically and mentally.

- KT