A man shared the harrowing story of how he threw his penis in the bin after it fell off during Channel 4's documentary The Man With a Penis on His Arm, which aired on Tuesday night.
Malcolm MacDonald, 47, from Thetford in Norfolk, developed a long-term perineum infection in 2014 - between the scrotum and anus. He had become homeless and "did more drugs" when his relationship fell apart after welcoming a child.
The infection caused abscesses the size of "tennis balls", which "swelled and popped". He then developed sepsis - a life-threatening condition caused by an extreme reaction to infection.
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Malcolm said at first his toes started to go black, according to the Mirror. But then his penis turned black. Malcolm said: "I went to the toilet and it fell off.
"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." While his testicles remained intact, the father was left with just "a stump" for a penis.
After what happened, Malcolm soon spiralled into depression and turned to drinking 18 pints a day. He said he felt like a "shadow of a man" and would start drinking in the morning, believing he would be left with a stump for a penis for the rest of his life.
Thankfully, help came when his GP told him of "penis master" Professor David Ralph, an expert in phallus construction at London’s University College Hospital. The professor created a penis using flesh from Malcolm's arm, which is said to be able to let him feel.
He was initially due to have the member attached between his legs in 2015, but a lack of oxygen in his blood meant it initially had to be grafted to his arm. Then, due to reasons such as the covid-19 pandemic, the expensive procedure was pushed back further.
On the show he discussed how the successful operation will now completely turn his life around. He said: "It was a nine-hour op. The first thing I did was look down and I was like, 'Oh my days. They got it this time'. I feel like a real man again."
In the long run, it's hoped that he'll be able to have sex again and will be able to prepare thanks to a pump in his scrotum which will fill it with a saline solution.
He added: "Can you imagine six years of your life with a penis swinging on your arm? It’s been a nightmare, but it’s gone now"
Malcolm's story is the first part in a three-part documentary series which follows men who have either had phalloplasty or are waiting to have it due to a number of reasons.
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