Man with giant scrotum turns down surgery

Published Jun 21, 2012

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A Las Vegas man with a 45kg scrotum has rejected offers to perform $1 million (about R8 million) surgery for free because his giant organ has made him famous, according to reports.

Wesley Warren Jr, who suffers from a rare condition that made his scrotum swell, turned down an offer by the Dr Oz Show to pay for the surgery last year because he didn't want to give up the rights to his story.

Now a second doctor has agreed to waive most of the cost for the procedure, but Warren still hasn't taken him up on the offer.

According to Mail Online, the watermelon-size scrotum Warren carries between his legs has landed him on the Howard Stern Show and the Comedy Central programme Tosh.0 and made him a local celebrity in his hometown.

Firecracker Films, the company behind 'Big Fat Gypsy Weddings' has already signed a contract to make a documentary about him.

 

Warren told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in October about the pain and humiliation of carrying the deformed genitals. He said he suffered from deep bouts of depression and health complications.

He must wear a hooded sweatshirt on his legs when he's out of public to contain his enormous scrotum. His penis is buried so deeply in the abnormal growth that he is forced to urinate on himself.

He only wanted, he said six months ago, to urinate like a normal man and have a romantic relationship with a woman.

Warren told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he contracted the extremely rare condition, called scrotal elephantiasis, somehow when he hit his testicle with his own leg while turning in bed one morning.

At the time Warren, 47, claimed he was going public to raise money so he could afford the operation - which would require a trip to a special surgeon at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center.

“I don't like being a freak, who would?” he told the Review-Journal.

But now after Warren's story spread across the globe, he seems to be revelling in the fame. Most disturbing, is his reaction to an offer he received from Dr Mehmet Oz, the celebrity physician whom Oprah made famous.

Warren claims the Dr Oz Show said it would pay for the entire surgery at a top-notch hospital. However, the show would keep exclusive rights to tell Warren's story.

He said he didn't take the TV programme up on its offer because Howard Stern wanted him on his show again.

The stars in Warren’s eyes might not be the only thing holding him back, though, says Mail Online.

The surgery is highly complicated and he fears he could die on the operating table.

The massive swelling is caused by fluid building up in his scrotum. Doctors must remove the excess tissue and then completely rebuild his scrotum.

There's also a chance, and not a small one, that complications could force the surgeons to cut off his penis and testicles if his scrotum won't stop bleeding.

 

Dr Joel Gelman, a University of California, Irvine surgeon, who has “never lost a patient or a testicle” while performing the operation has offered to fly to Nevada and perform the procedure for free, as well, the Review-Journal reports.

Warren still hasn't followed through with Dr Gelman, the report said - IOL

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