After six years of living with his penis attached to his arm, a Norfolk man has finally had a replacement attached to his groin and told his unusual story in a TV documentary.
Malcolm MacDonald, from Thetford, explained that the organ fell off 12 years ago due to a blood infection.
He described how his penis "went black" after developing a perineum infection which swelled up to the "size of a tennis ball" before the situation deteriorated even further.
He had become homeless and had attempted to treat the abscess himself after it returned but it eventually led to blood poisoning.
"The fingers started going black, the toes started going black. The penis went black," he said.
"I went to the toilet and it fell off."
What he was left with was a "stump" and feeling like "less of a man".
He shared his "emotional" ordeal as part of a new Channel Four documentary titled 'The Man with a Penis on His Arm', alongside two other men who have had or are awaiting phalloplasty.
A replacement penis was created by Professor David Ralph at London's University College Hospital using flesh grafted from Mr MacDonald's arm.
But the initial operation to get it fitted was aborted due to a lack of oxygen in his blood which meant doctors had to temporarily connect the organ to his arm instead.
The procedure to have it fitted to his groin was delayed by six years because of missed or cancelled appointments and the pandemic.
He finally underwent a nine-hour operation which saw the organ successfully transplanted from his arm to between his legs.
In the documentary, Mr MacDonald said: "The first thing I did was look down and think 'oh my days, they got it right this time'.
"My luck in life hasn’t been too good so far, but it can only go bad for so long, can’t it?
"Can you imagine six years of your life with a penis being on your arm?
"It has been a nightmare. But it's gone now."
He hoped his future would now hold a "little bit of normality", adding the ordeal was "something to tell the grandchildren".
The documentary is available on Channel Four's on-demand service.
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