Michael Phillips, a 38-year-old US man who claims to have the world's smallest penis, has announced he has booked a procedure to increase his girth after raising funds online. In a brief interview on Saturday, Phillips expressed gratitude to GoFundMe donors who contributed nearly $13,000 from over 250 people, saying he was "really thankful and surprised" and "extremely grateful."
Background and medical condition
Phillips suffers from micropenis, a rare condition defined by the Cleveland Clinic as a stretched penile length of less than 2.67 inches (6.8 cm). His length is 0.38 inches (0.97 cm) even when fully erect, causing urinary difficulties and preventing penetrative intimacy. He stated that urination is remarkably difficult because his urine "goes everywhere."
Fundraising and surgeon's offer
His GoFundMe campaign, launched on June 25, aimed to cover the cost of an enhancement procedure. Media coverage prompted Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Dorman to publicly offer to perform the procedure for free, moved by Phillips's quality-of-life issues. However, Phillips declined, saying: "I have already booked my procedure with a facility closer to home." The planned procedure focuses on increasing girth to alleviate some but not all difficulties associated with micropenis.
Advocacy and viral attention
Phillips has characterized himself as an advocate against body shaming for those with micropenis. He gained international attention by challenging anyone to disprove his claim of having the world's smallest penis, in an interview with TMZ. He said the challenge was to raise awareness about the condition. Before appearing on the British show This Morning in January, he had to prove his condition to producers and has sent pictures to others, including a woman who called it "by far the smallest one I'd ever seen" in a viral video.
