John Wayne Bobbitt, the man whose penis was cut off by his wife, has had all of his toes amputated. He says this is due to severely contaminated water at the military base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina he spent time at in the 80s, reported The Sun. The news comes more than 30 years since he was in the news for a different surgery: having his penis reattached after his ex-wife, Lorena Gallo, sliced it off while he was sleeping on June 23, 1993.
Lorena threw his penis out the window of her car, but police were able to find it.
Lorena alleges that she did this because of the desperation she felt after being raped and abused by her then-husband. She was tried, but acquitted due to "temporary insanity."
John was charged with marital sexual assault but was also acquitted. He has denied the allegations, but now says that the chemical exposure at Camp Lejeune contributed to his relationship issues.
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"I wasn't behaving the way I should have," he recently acknowledged when speaking to The Sun. "Maybe I would have made better decisions if my cognitive functioning wasn't distorted by the chemicals."
Water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with PCE (perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene) and other contaminants, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The contamination occurred from the early 1950s to 1985 but was discovered during the 1980s, the Associated Press reported. People stationed at the base used that water for daily tasks like showering and cooking. According to AP, a study found that those who were stationed at the base from 1975 to 1985 had a higher cancer risk compared to people stationed at other locations.
John, 57, told The Sun that he believes the exposure to contaminated water led to him developing toxic peripheral polyneuropathy.
He told the outlet that he has had multiple surgeries due to the nerve damage and osteomyelitis, and his most recent operation in 2023 involved the amputation of all of his remaining toes (he had already had some of his toes removed).
Now, he is not able to work, walks with a limp and wears prosthetic shoes, according to The Sun.
In addition to having his penis cut off and all of his toes amputated, John also almost had to have a foot amputated because of an injury in 2013, reported the New York Post. The outlet reported that John got an infection after stepping on a dirty nail while working a construction job. He reportedly was already missing one toe at that point due to another incident.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
