A West Michigan man is hoping to get an embarrassing condition taken care of -- with help from the public.
Dan Maurer, 39, has a nearly 100-pound, enlarged scrotum, which he wants removed.
"When I go out, people do look. They try to be polite, you can see when something's not right," he said.
Maurer says it's affected his health and his relationship with his wife, Mindy. "I don't want to lose her," says Maurer.
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Dan has been with Mindy for 20 years. Not long into their marriage, he noticed changes.
"In my late 20's, I noticed it was little larger in that area."
Dan's scrotum was getting bigger. His doctor told him to lose weight.
"So, I was doing 2 miles a day in the pool, so I lost 50 pounds like that."
Dan was getting smaller, but his growth was still getting bigger. He was given a referral to the University of Michigan Health System. Again, he was told to lose weight.
"As far as they were concerned, I had to have lap-band surgery to lose weight."
"It was frustrating for the both of us", says Mindy. They became disenchanted with the medical community.
"He was like, 'They're the top people in the area. If they don't know, nobody does.'"
More time passed and Dan continued to try to lose more weight. Eventually, he got sick, and had to go back to the doctor.
"They admitted me like right away. There is something seriously wrong," he said.
Dan had a broken cyst inside the scrotum. He spent the next two years going to a wound center. The size didn't change. It wasn't until Dan saw a TLC show, called The Man with the 132-Pound Scrotum, that he knew there was hope.
"That's when I found out that's what I have," Maurer said, referring to his condition called scrotal lymphedema. It's a rare condition caused by blockages in the lymphatic vessels.
Dan's only hope is a doctor in California who will perform surgery to remove the growth.
"I think he's taken a whole different approach to it," Maurer said.
The surgery is dangerous and expensive. Dan is hoping to raise money to help pay for it. He knows it will not only improve his health, but bring him closer to his wife, too.
"I haven't had marital relations with my husband in 7 years", says Mindy. "When you say those vows, you either mean them or you don't. I meant them."
"She's amazing. I don't see myself as being worth it, but she is. That's why I'm going through this," says Dan. He has his first appointment in California on July 25th. Dan needs to raise about $20,000 for the surgery.
