After losing his penis due to a blood infection, a 45-year-old UK man is the recipient of a new penis being grown on his forearm.
MacDonald, who lives in Norfolk, UK, struggled for years with an infection of his perineum, the area between the anus and testicles. Over time, the infection spread to his fingers and toes causing them to turn black.
Then, one day, he was shocked to see his penis turn black as well.
“It was like a horror film,” MacDonald told The Sun. “I was in a complete panic. I knew deep down it was gone and I was going to lose it.”
“Then one day it just dropped off on to the floor,” he adds. “Because I had been through the devastation of knowing I was going to lose it, I just picked it up and put it in the bin.”
MacDonald, who works as a mechanic, says the best doctors could do for him at the time was “to roll the remaining stump up like a little sausage roll.”
The separated dad-of-two fell into a depression, became a recluse, and began drinking heavily.
In 2016, his doctor referred him to Professor David Ralph, a specialist in phallus reconstruction in residence at University College Hospital in London.
Ralph and his team were able to take skin grafts from MacDonald’s arm and butt to build the new penis along with a vein from his leg for blood flow. During discussions about what the new appendage would look like, MacDonald asked for – and received – an additional two inches.
“They were happy to listen to what I wanted it to be like, which was amazing,” says MacDonald. “Not many can say they have a designer penis.”
The procedure, funded by the NHS, cost £50,000 ($65,000US).
He says when he first saw the penis on his left arm, he felt “so, so proud.” He adds that, like any other man, he “just couldn’t leave it alone” in the beginning – “I thought it was the best thing ever.”
The penis was ‘grown’ over the next two years and in 2018, it was time to transplant the new appendage (that he had nicknamed ‘Jimmy’) to his groin along with a penile implant to help him achieve erections.
But, the final surgery has been postponed numerous times due to illness, transportation, and scheduling mistakes. Last December, he was ready and prepped for the operation but a last-minute staff shortage caused another cancellation.
Then, in April, he was scheduled again for the transplant but the COVID-19 pandemic put the surgery on hold again.
MacDonald tells The Sun he hopes to be able to have the surgery before the end of the year.
“It really feels like it is time to get it off,” admits the 45-year-old. “I can’t run because it waggles about. I can’t go swimming or wear a short-sleeve shirt.”
“I can’t lie, having a penis on your arm for four years is a really strange thing to live with,” adds MacDonald. “But I am determined this penis will be ultimately used for what it was built for.”
