It was announced earlier this year that Valery Spiridonov would be the first person to undergo a head transplant. Now several months later, the surgery is becoming more of a reality.
Dr. Sergio Canavero – the man set to perform the life-altering procedure – made an appearance at the Westin Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland with Spiridonov by his side, to recruit surgeons to help him perform the transplant.
For two and a half hours, Canavero presented his case to a group of surgeons at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons.
The group seemed skeptical of the procedure as well as Canavero, himself. However the doctor continued to babble about the possible success and how eager his patient is to get this show on the road.
The 30-year-old Russian scheduled to undergo the transplant was born with Werdnig-Hoffman disease, a genetic muscle-wasting disorder that has left him seriously disabled since birth. Spiridonov hopes to put his head on a healthy body and experience a life he’s never been able to.
Spiridonov explained, “I believe my body is just mechanics that I want to have removed.” But the attendees doubt it’s that simple.
For someone who’s going to be decapitated, he sounds pretty f*cking calm. But according to him, he’s got nothing to lose. We’ll see what happens next.