A man who had his own brain replaced by a woman’s brain in September during a groundbreaking medical procedure had five car accidents in less than two weeks since he was released from the hospital.
53-year old Phil Robertson from Scranton in Pennsylvania was miraculously saved from a brain cancer a few months ago by undergoing a successful brain transplant.
He received the brain of a 37-year old woman who had died in a car accident and the operation had unforeseen consequences for the poor man.
After several weeks of re-education, he was finally released from the hospital two weeks ago and returned to work. But the truck driver who had never had an accident in his life says he literally forgot how to drive.
“It’s strange because I’m able to speak, walk and do everything normally, but for some reason, driving is simply impossible. I had five accidents in less than two weeks. I use to drive semi trucks without problems, but now even parallel parking beyond my abilities.”
Mr. Robertson says the surgery has also totally changed his personality and his outlook on life.
“Since the surgery, I feel like complaining all the time. I even surprised myself thinking that I looked fat when I looked at myself in the mirror. This surgery turned me into a woman.”
Dr. James Ford who performed the transplant says that minor changes in the patient’s skills or personality are normal after such a major surgery, but should gradually resorb over time.
According to the doctor who treated Mr. Robertson, he should regain his lost abilities and his old personality over the next few months, but they admit that there is a small risk that some of these changes could be permanent.
Dr. Ford says there is approximately a 5% chance that Mr. Robertson will be unable to “overwrite” the brain’s former knowledge, but that he normally should be able to adapt and recover over time.
He estimates that this adaptation process could take between six and 18 months before he is totally back to his former self.