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Head transplant candidate sells souvenirs to fund operation

Mugs, phone cases…and hats

A Russian man who has volunteered to undergo the world’s first head transplant has begun selling souvenirs to fund the op, after the world’s billionaires failed to pick up the tab.

Valery Spiridonov, a 31 year old computer scientist who suffers from a rare degenerative wasting disease, is set to be the world’s first head transplant patient - or body transplant patient, depending on your point of view.

The operation, which involves deep freezing then removing the patient’s head, is to be carried out by radical Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero. Canavero has said he envisions being able to carry out such a transplant as early as next year. Apparently the surgery will last 36 hours, and cost around $11m according to reports. Both Russia and China have been cited as likely venues for the op.

The recipient of the donor body will then be put in a month long coma, before being brought back round to...well, noone really knows.

Given the hefty price tag, Canavero has previously appealed to the world’s billionaires to step up and foot the cost of the operation.

It would appear none have come forward, at least not to pay for someone else to undergo the procedure, prompting Spiridonov to launch his own range of memorabilia, according to The Daily Mail.

Items include clocks, coasts and caps plastered with the log “desire for Life”. The mugs start at £5.80, while the baseball cap can be had for £5.65. T-shirts and sweatshirts are also available, but curiously, no scarves. The shop is only in Russian so far, but Spiridonov has reportedly stated an English language version will come soon.

Elements of the techniques Canavero plans to use have been tested on rats and monkeys. However this has done little to reassure the medical establishment, with reactions ranging from horror to accusations of BS. ®

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