A horrific accident sliced off a large part of a Cape Town man’s right hand, leaving him with only one finger. He was filled with despair, until a remarkable surgeon gave him new hope.

Urology specialist Prof Andre van der der Merwe heads up the Tygerberg Hospital unit, and he was moved after seeing the desperate plight of young men filling the wards every year. He became convinced he could successfully carry out the world’s first penile transplant.