It is considered to be one of the most emotionally traumatizing injury a service member can sustain and now, there may be hope.
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An unnamed wounded veteran is set to have the first ever penis transplant in U.S. History at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He sustained the injuries from a bomb blast that caused severe injuries to his penis and groin. He is one of 60 men who have sustained that type of injury in the recent wars.
What makes this particular injury so devastating is the impact it has on the wounded’s identity and their spouses as they return home. Many are young and still desiring to have children.
Dr. Richard Redett, the plastic surgeon who will help in this surgery told Reuters:
“When you meet these guys and you realize what they’ve given for the country, it makes a lot of sense.”
Doctors hope to find the perfect donor match for the vet. Age, skin color, and consent of the donor’s family are all considerations. They hope to return his genitals to full working order.
The transplant is very invasive and involves major surgery to the scrotum, abdominal wall, groin and inner thigh. Only two other procedures like this have been attempted. An unsuccessful try in 2006 in China and a successful surgery in South Africa in 2014.
Do you think more vets will get this help if the surgery is successful? Sound off in the comments below!
