After having four inches of his manhood removed in a drastic surgery to save his life, Steven Hamill feared he would never fulfil his dream of being a father.
The 33-year-old food industry worker was diagnosed with penile cancer in April 2019, after suffering a raft of distressing symptoms.
Steven first visited his GP in March that year complaining of pain and swelling in his genitals, and was diagnosed with balanitis – inflammation of the head of the penis that can be caused by infection or irritation.
He was sent home with a topical cream.
But after developing worsening, intense pain coupled with an extremely unpleasant odour, Steven was rushed to A&E after fainting and waking in a pool of his own blood.
There, doctors gave him the devastating diagnosis: penile cancer, advanced enough to require a partial amputation.
Steven was terrified. ‘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?’,’ he said.
Today, however, Steven is cancer-free, and the proud dad of a four-year-old boy. And despite the taboo nature of his cancer, he has taken the brave step to go public – in a bid to raise awareness of the symptoms and encourage men not to delay seeking help.
After having four inches of his penis removed in a drastic surgery to save his life, Steven Hamill feared he would never fulfill his dream of being a father
The 33-year-old food industry worker – now known as ‘Stumpy’ to his friends – was diagnosed with penile cancer in April of 2019
‘I was really lucky that even after I had four inches removed it left me with around four inches,’ Steven says. ‘So it’s still fully functional and working.’
Around 700 men are diagnosed with penile cancer in Britain each year – the disease most commonly occurs in men over the age of 50.
A significant proportion of cases are thought to be preventable. Cancer Research UK estimates more than 60 per cent are linked to known risk factors, including infection with certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), smoking, and chronic inflammatory skin conditions such as lichen sclerosus.
The disease is notoriously hard to spot because symptoms can easily be mistaken for less serious problems, which men are often too embarrassed to talk about.
As a result, late diagnosis is increasingly common, with many men ignoring early warning signs – which can, as in Steven’s case, result in amputation.
Of men diagnosed early, however, more than 90 per cent survive at least five years after diagnosis.
Major risk factors include smoking, not being circumcised, a weakened immune system and older age.
Symptoms include a growth, lump or sore that does not heal within four weeks, a rash, bleeding, abnormal discharge, as well as unexplained weight loss, extreme fatigue and abdominal pain.
Steven was transferred to a specialist unit at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester where he was diagnosed with penile cancer
In Steven’s case, cancer was dismissed as a possibility due to his age.
‘I had every sign and symptom of penile cancer and the doctor agreed, but he said it “couldn’t be cancer” as I was only 26 at the time,’ he said.
Steven says his first warning sign was when he noticed the head of his penis had ballooned to four times its usual size.
When he went to the doctor in March 2019, he says it was dismissed as balanitis and he was given steroid cream.
But over the next month, Steven began to experience pain ‘like someone poking a needle into the end’ of his penis.
He also developed a ‘death’ smell that ‘followed him around’ and that other people could notice.
It was only after passing out in his brother’s car and waking in a pool of blood that he was rushed to A&E.
He was then transferred to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, where he was diagnosed with penile cancer.
There, he underwent a circumcision before having ‘half’ of his penis removed, before being told he was cancer free in July 2019.
Now, Steven is raising awareness of his diagnosis to urge men to get any unusual symptoms checked out as cancer can strike at any age
Steven said: ‘I put steroid cream on it for two weeks solidly and there was no change.
‘I went back to the doctors two weeks later and he said it was definitely balanitis.
‘But by this point I was in so much pain and the odour started. I would describe this smell as death.
‘The smell followed me round and it was awful and other people could smell it.’
Steven is urging men to get any unusual genital symptoms checked out by a doctor, as cancer can strike at any age.
‘I was told I would never have kids because the surgery affected my urethra – butI now have a four-year-old boy,’ he said.
‘Everything is still functional and I can still have kids.’
Steven – who jokes that he is now nicknamed ‘stumpy’ by his friends – says his diagnosis didn’t put him off dating, prior to meeting the mother of his child.
‘It changed from person to person, what I’d tell dates about my surgery. Sometimes I’d make a joke about it instantly.
‘But it’s was never an issue – 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.
‘When it came to intimacy, I did at times get in my head and think: “She’s going to think it looks really weird”. I still get self-conscious all the time.’
He admits the psychological impact has lingered.
‘I get phantom pain now and again, which makes me worry that the cancer is coming back. I have vivid dreams about going through it all and being told I have cancer.
‘I think it was so much to go through in five months – it felt like years.’
His message is simple: ‘If anything doesn’t feel right, don’t be embarrassed and don’t just hope it goes away.
‘Reach out – and don’t leave it too late.’
