Veteran Receives First Penis Transplant in Medical First

A team of 11 doctors pulled off a medical first last month by transplanting male genitals onto a veteran who lost his in a bomb blast on the battlefield.

According to The Washington Post, the surgery took place at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in March and lasted 14 hours. The patient's name has been withheld for privacy.

"It's a real mind-boggling injury to suffer; it is not an easy one to accept," the patient said. "When I first woke up, I felt finally more normal."

A penis, scrotum, and part of an abdominal wall were taken from a deceased donor and transplanted onto the patient. Four other penis transplants have been done over the years, but none that included a scrotum and abdominal wall.

"It is our hope that such a life-changing transplant will allow him to regain urinary and sexual function and lead a normal life," said Dr. Richard Redett of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, according to The Baltimore Sun.