BOSTON
(AP) — The recipient of the nation's first penis transplant says he is looking
forward to walking out of the hospital a "complete" man.
"There
is no doubt in my mind that everything is going to work. And I mean
everything," 64-year-old Thomas Manning said Wednesday with a grin as he
continued to recover at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital. "You can
interpret that any way you wish."
Seated by
a window overlooking the Charles River, Manning was upbeat and chatty after
undergoing the 15-hour operation last week.
The
former Halifax, Massachusetts, bank courier whose organ was amputated after he
was diagnosed with penile cancer in 2012 has been ambling around his room with
a walker and said he doesn't feel any pain. He has taken a few peeks under the
gauze covering his new organ, and the swelling and discoloration appear to be
diminishing.
Manning
is just the third man in the world to receive a new penis, following
transplants in South Africa in 2014 and China in 2005.
The South
African patient remains healthy and was able to father a child, though the baby
was stillborn. The Chinese man, however, had his new penis removed weeks later
because he said it made him and his wife uncomfortable.
The
revolutionary procedure could give hope to cancer survivors, accident victims
and maimed soldiers. It could also benefit transgender people.
Manning's
doctors said in announcing the operation on Monday that they hoped to release
him sometime this week. But Manning said he will stay and undergo largely
cosmetic surgery on Monday to improve the organ's appearance.
"They're
in no rush, and I'm in no rush," Manning said. "Let's get this done
right."
He vowed:
"I'm going to walk out of here complete."
Doctors
said that it will be a few more weeks before Manning can urinate normally and
that sexual function is farther down the line. But reproduction is not possible
since Manning didn't receive new testes.
As for
the prospects of having a sex life again, Manning, who is single, never married
and has no children, said: "When it happens it happens. I don't have to
push it. I hope to be around for another 20 or 30 years. Will it still be
working by then? I sure hope so."
Manning's
penile cancer was discovered after a workplace accident in which he slipped on
ice. Doctors told him they needed to take aggressive action to save his life.
"Part
of me was really devastated," Manning said. "I didn't feel like less
of a man, but I went through my own version of hell."
He said
he had been asking his doctor almost ever since to put him on the short list
for a transplant.
"I
would have went to the moon for this," Manning said. "I mean, why
not? They cut my penis off, and I wanted it back. It's not that
complicated."
But
Manning said he never hesitated about going public.
"The
bottom line is you can't worry about what other people think. You've got to get
on with your life," he said. "I happen to be the first person to
receive a penis transplant. What's the big deal?"
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