Steven was initially dismissed by doctors who didn’t believe it could be cancer (Picture: Kennedy News/@stevenHamillStories)
In March 2019, Steven Hamill began to notice a ‘death smell’ coming from his genitals.
Just 26 at the time, he’d already been to the doctor that month when the head of his penis ballooned to four times its usual size, but the GP dismissed it as an infection called balanitis – where the penis becomes swollen, itchy and sore.
So, it came as a shock when doctors finally told him in April he had penile cancer, and would need a circumcision and four inches of his penis amputated.
‘I put steroid cream on it for two weeks solidly and there was no change,’ Steven recalls, before getting his diagnosis.
‘By this point I was in so much pain. It felt like someone was poking a needle into the end of my penis. The only way I could get a little bit of pain-free time was in the bathroom or I’d be rocking on the floor.
‘Then, the smell started. I would describe this smell as death. It followed me round, it was awful and other people could smell it.’
Steven, now 33, says that despite having ‘every sign and symptom’ of penile cancer, when he returned to the GP, doctors told him it ‘couldn’t be cancer’ because he was just 26.
Steven in hospital after being diagnosed with penile cancer (Picture: Kennedy News/@stevenHamillStories)
Things took a turn for the worst when he passed out in his brother’s car and woke up in a pool of blood in April, after which he was rushed to A&E.
He was then transferred to a specialist unit at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester where he was diagnosed with penile cancer.
The penile amputation
In order to get rid of the cancer, doctors informed Steven, from Cheshire, he would need to have four inches of his penis amputated, as well as his foreskin removed.
Known as a partial penectomy, the surgical procedure aims to remove cancerous tissue from the penis while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible, according to the British Association of Urological Surgeons.
Steven was lucky he had an eight inch penis (two-and-a-half inches longer than the UK average of 5.63) meaning he was left with a four inch penis after surgery.
What you need to know about penile cancer
Penile cancer is rare and mostly affects men over 50. It targets the skin of the penis and the foreskin.
Symptoms:
a growth, lump or sore that does not heal within 4 weeks
a rash
bleeding from your penis or under your foreskin
a smelly discharge
difficulty pulling back your foreskin (phimosis)
a change in the colour of the skin of your penis or foreskin
You may also feel a lump in your groin, tummy pain, or you may feel tired and lose weight.
You need to see a doctor if you have any of these symptoms, but these don’t mean you definitely have cancer.
Source: NHS
He’s now in remission but his operation has earned him a rather unfortunate nickname from friends.
‘When I put in the lads’ group chat about my cancer diagnosis, one of them changed my nickname to Stumpy and I’m still called this,’ Steven says.
‘I was rather well endowed beforehand so [having] four inches in full removed dropped me down to around four inches. So [my penis] is still fully functional and working.
Steven has gone on to live a normal life after having part of his penis amputated (Picture: Kennedy News/@stevenHamillStories)
‘I was really lucky… because if I was average I would’ve gone down to about one or two inches, and that functionality isn’t really there anymore.’
The single food industry worker insists this hasn’t impacted his dating life or his ability to have sex, and he even has a four-year-old son.
‘It changes from person to person when I tell dates about my surgery,’ Steven explains. ‘Sometimes I make a joke about it instantly. It’s never been an issue with anyone I’ve dated, but it’s more me adapting and learning new things.
‘I’ve got a whole new tool to figure out how to function because it’s completely different.’
Despite not having any issues, he does still get in his own head sometimes.
‘When it comes to intimacy, sometimes I get in my head and think “she’s going to think it [my penis] looks really weird”,’ he says. ‘I get self conscious all the time.
‘I was told I would never have kids because the surgery happened on my urethra, and I now have a four-year-old boy. Everything is still functional and I can still have kids.’
‘It was a rollercoaster of emotions’
Steven is now raising awareness of his diagnosis to urge men to get any unusual symptoms checked out as cancer can strike at any age.
‘It took me years to adapt because you put yourself in the darkest place ever,’ he recalls. ‘Every time I went to bed I would think, “is this the night I’m going to die? Will I see next week? Should I make plans for next week?”‘
Steven’s bandages after his partial penectomy (Picture: Kennedy News/@stevenHamillStories)
He gets worried when he feels a ‘phantom pain’ occassionally, in case it’s his cancer returning.
I have vivid dreams about going through it all and being told I have cancer,’ he adds. ‘I think it was so much to go through in five months and it was such a rollercoaster of emotions it felt like years.’
Despite all this, Steven’s advice is simple. ‘If anything doesn’t feel right, don’t be embarrassed and see if it goes away.
‘Reach out, even if it’s to me online, and I could guide you, but 100% reach out and don’t leave it too late.’
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