![\"Pic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_292398717-7bd1.jpg\")
\n\t\tSteven was initially dismissed by doctors who didn\u2019t believe it could be cancer (Picture: Kennedy News\/@stevenHamillStories)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tSteven was initially dismissed by doctors who didn\u2019t believe it could be cancer (Picture: Kennedy News\/@stevenHamillStories)<\/p>\n
In March 2019, Steven Hamill began to notice a \u2018death smell\u2019 coming from his genitals.<\/p>\n
Just 26 at the time, he\u2019d 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 <\/a>\u2013 where the penis becomes swollen, itchy and sore.<\/p>\n So, it came as a shock when doctors finally told him in April he had penile cancer<\/a>, and would need a circumcision and four inches of his penis amputated.<\/p>\n \u2018I put steroid cream on it for two weeks solidly and there was no change,\u2019 Steven recalls, before getting his diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u2018By 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\u2019d be rocking on the floor.<\/p>\n \u2018Then, the smell started. I would describe this smell as death. It followed me round, it was awful and other people could smell it.\u2019<\/p>\n Steven, now 33, says that despite having \u2018every sign and symptom\u2019 of penile cancer, when he returned to the GP, doctors told him it \u2018couldn\u2019t be cancer\u2019 because he was just 26.<\/p>\n \t\t Things took a turn for the worst when he passed out in his brother\u2019s car and woke up in a pool of blood in April, after which he was rushed to A&E.<\/p>\n He was then transferred to a specialist unit at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester<\/a> where he was diagnosed with penile cancer.<\/p>\n The penile amputation<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Known as a partial penectomy<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n Steven was lucky he had an eight inch penis (two-and-a-half inches longer than the UK average of 5.63<\/a>) meaning he was left with a four inch penis after surgery.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWhat you need to know about penile cancer\t\t\t<\/p>\n Penile cancer is rare and mostly affects men over 50. It targets the skin of the penis and the foreskin.<\/p>\n Symptoms:<\/p>\n a growth, lump or sore that does not heal within 4 weeks You may also feel a lump in your groin, tummy pain, or you may feel tired and lose weight.<\/p>\n You need to see a doctor if you have any of these symptoms, but these don\u2019t mean you definitely have cancer.<\/p>\n Source: NHS<\/a><\/p>\n He\u2019s now in remission but his operation has earned him a rather unfortunate nickname from friends.<\/p>\n \u2018When I put in the lads\u2019 group chat about my cancer diagnosis, one of them changed my nickname to Stumpy and I\u2019m still called this,\u2019 Steven says.<\/p>\n \u2018I 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.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018I was really lucky\u2026 because if I was average I would\u2019ve gone down to about one or two inches, and that functionality isn\u2019t really there anymore.\u2019<\/p>\n The single food industry worker insists this hasn\u2019t impacted his dating<\/a> life or his ability to have sex, and he even has a four-year-old son.<\/p>\n \u2018It changes from person to person when I tell dates about my surgery,\u2019 Steven explains. \u2018Sometimes I make a joke about it instantly. It\u2019s never been an issue with anyone I\u2019ve dated, but it\u2019s more me adapting and learning new things.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve got a whole new tool to figure out how to function because it\u2019s completely different.\u2019<\/p>\n Despite not having any issues, he does still get in his own head sometimes.<\/p>\n \u2018When it comes to intimacy, sometimes I get in my head and think \u201cshe\u2019s going to think it [my penis] looks really weird\u201d,\u2019 he says. \u2018I get self conscious all the time.<\/p>\n \u2018I 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.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018It was a rollercoaster of emotions\u2019<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u2018It took me years to adapt because you put yourself in the darkest place ever,\u2019 he recalls. \u2018Every time I went to bed I would think, \u201cis this the night I\u2019m going to die? Will I see next week? Should I make plans for next week?\u201d\u2018<\/p>\n \t\t He gets worried when he feels a \u2018phantom pain\u2019 occassionally, in case it\u2019s his cancer returning.<\/p>\n I have vivid dreams about going through it all and being told I have cancer,\u2019 he adds. \u2018I think it was so much to go through in five months and it was such a rollercoaster of emotions it felt like years.\u2019<\/p>\n Despite all this, Steven\u2019s advice is simple. \u2018If anything doesn\u2019t feel right, don\u2019t be embarrassed and see if it goes away. <\/p>\n \u2018Reach out, even if it\u2019s to me online, and I could guide you, but 100% reach out and don\u2019t leave it too late.\u2019<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share?<\/p>\n Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Pic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_292390126-5dba-e1775640882322.jpg\")
\n\t\tSteven in hospital after being diagnosed with penile cancer (Picture: Kennedy News\/@stevenHamillStories)<\/p>\n
\na rash
\nbleeding from your penis or under your foreskin
\na smelly discharge
\ndifficulty pulling back your foreskin (phimosis)
\na change in the colour of the skin of your penis or foreskin<\/p>\n![\"Pic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_292390135-71b1-e1775640967689.jpg\")
\n\t\tSteven has gone on to live a normal life after having part of his penis amputated (Picture: Kennedy News\/@stevenHamillStories)<\/p>\n![\"Pic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_292390134-251c-e1775641076439.jpg\")
\n\t\tSteven\u2019s bandages after his partial penectomy (Picture: Kennedy News\/@stevenHamillStories)<\/p>\n
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