Man Fathers Miracle Baby After Losing His Penis In Botched Circumcision
In a very troubling story of circumcision gone wrong, 30-year-old Mike Moore lost his penis in a botched circumcision operation at the age of seven. Now, Mike has made medical history by becoming the first man to conceive a child with a reconstructed penis.
At the age of seven, doctors discovered that Mike had an infection that prevented him from urinating properly. Doctors advised a routine circumcision that was botched and resulted in an amputation of the penis. Mike recounts years of bullying, depression, and low self-esteem after the loss. Mike also believes that this resulted in the end of his first marriage.
“The one thing I wanted most in this world was a family, and I didn’t think it was going to happen – to have kids, to have a wife who loves me for who I am. It wasn’t going to happen, not to me.”
In 2007, Mike sought out Dr. Gordon Lee, a specialist in reconstructive plastic surgery at Stanford Medical Center, after three failed reconstructive surgeries for his penis. Dr. Lee successfully reconstructed his penis using tissue from his thigh””the second procedure of its kind ever performed by the doctor. According to Dr. Lee, “His story is, as far as I know, a first in the world for a totally reconstructed penis to go and have a baby.”
Thankfully, the story has a happy ending as Mike’s second wife Heather got pregnant last year with his sperm using artificial insemination. The happy couple gave birth to their son Memphis, now six months old.
My heart truly goes out to Mike and his family because I cannot imagine the personal struggle he has had to deal with for his entire adult life. Having a miracle child is the ideal ending to the worst-case result of a botched circumcision.
Stories like this are tough to hear, but I’m still supportive of circumcision for my own family. Yes, I would be devastated if my sons had to struggle like this after a botched procedure. At the same time, I can’t say that I would have done anything different than Mike’s parents did. He underwent a routine circumcision based on medical advice. The odds of his outcome were very slim, and I refuse to parent based on “what ifs.”
