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Elijah Stephens recently underwent the first female genital reassignment operation in New Jersey. The doctors removed the skin and tissues from his forearm to make a penis. ( Akyurt Machine | Pixabay )
There has been an increase in sex reassignment surgeries in recent years, including the recent case of a transgender in New Jersey
Who is Elijah Stephens? ] Growing up, Elijah Stephens knew that he was different. From the age of 6, he began to accept that he was a boy.
Although he has never known transgender in his childhood, Stephens did his research and wanted to make the transition. The first step in his transition was hormone therapy. It was not an easy process for Stephens, who endured years of depression and considered suicide. Even today, he would have colleagues who ridicule him and spread gossip about his transition.
"I love who I am," he told NJ.com. "Because I did not like who I was, and to see where I came from, that's what keeps me grounded."
Female genital reassignment surgery
To help with her transition, Stephens has endured many surgeries. He had a "top operation" in 2016 to make his chest more masculine. Stephens then underwent "bottom surgery" to remove the vaginal canal. In February 2018, the 28-year-old man finally decided to undergo phalloplasty in a female-male genital reassignment operation. This would be the first operation of its kind in the history of New Jersey.
The 14-hour operation was held at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and was conducted by a team of 15 surgeons led by Dr. Jonathan Keith. Although Keith has studied sex reassignment surgery in Belgium, he has never practiced it before. It took him three years to plan all aspects of the surgery.
Keith removed the skin and tissue from Stephen's left forearm to create the penis. The fabric of his thigh was implanted in the forearm to replace the other tissue. The forearm tissue has been used to lengthen the urethra to carry urine through the penis. The nerves were transplanted to the penis, and the labial tissue was transformed into a scrotum. Keith also used forearm arteries so blood could circulate.
The aftermath of surgery
The surgery was a success. In the months following the procedure, Stephens was able to urinate upright and he could reach orgasm. Stephens said that walking with his penis was a little embarrassing at first, but he's been used to it ever since.
"It's hard to put into words," Stephens told NorthJersey.com. "I feel whole, complete – happy beyond happiness."
Her next surgery will be to add implants to help her get an erection.
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