The latest: Penis donor's family praying for US recipient

Surgical Team Working In Operating Theatre (iStock)

BOSTON (AP) -- The Latest on the first penis transplant carried out in the United States (all times local):

11:20 a.m.

Relatives of the donor involved in the first successful penis transplant in the U.S. say they are opting to remain anonymous.

Alexandra Glazier, CEO of the New England Organ Bank, says the family of the donor - who had died - is praying for recipient Thomas Manning's continued recover.

Glazier says the family indicates that Manning's well-being is helping them cope as they mourn the loss of their loved one.

She says other organs donated by the man are helping save "multiple" lives.

Glazier read a statement from the donor's family Monday at a news conference with the surgeons who performed the 15-hour operation on Manning.

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10:30 a.m.

Doctors say the United States' first recipient of a transplanted penis is recovering well from the delicate surgery.

Surgeons on the Massachusetts General Hospital team who performed the transplant on 64-year-old Thomas Manning say blood is flowing to the organ.

They say there are no signs of bleeding, rejection or infection, and that they're cautiously optimistic he will regain the function he lost in 2012 when cancer led to an amputation of the penis.

Manning issued a statement Monday saying: "Today I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries."

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10 a.m.

The Boston doctor who led the first penis transplant in the United States says the delicate and complicated procedure took a "huge team effort."

Dr. Dicken Ko of Massachusetts General Hospital tells reporters the surgery had three key aims: ensuring the transplanted penis looks natural, is capable of normal urination and eventually can achieve normal sexual function.

Ko says people who lose their genitals suffer a loss of self-identity, so the transplant will help with psychological healing as well.

The recipient, Thomas Manning of Halifax, Massachusetts, was not present at Monday's news conference.

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This item has been corrected to show it was Dr. Dicken Ko who spoke about the threefold aim of the procedure, not Dr. Curtis Cetrulo.

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9:40 a.m.

A cancer patient received the first penis transplant in the United States, a Boston hospital said.

Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed Monday that Thomas Manning of Halifax, Massachusetts, received the transplanted penis in a 15-hour procedure last week. The organ was transplanted from a deceased donor.

The New York Times first reported the transplant Monday.

Dr. Curtis Cetrulo, who helped lead the surgical team, tells the newspaper that normal urination should be possible for the 64-year-old Manning in a few weeks, with sexual function possible in weeks to months.