When Steven Hamill was 26, he sought medical attention after noticing that the glans of his penis swelled to four times its normal size. He was sent home with a steroid cream to treat the infection, reports .
Experts were convinced that it was balanitis, an inflammation of the glans, which could be caused by poor hygiene or a sexually transmitted disease. However, a month later, Steven’s crotch started to smell strongly. “I would describe the stench as the smell of death. He accompanied me every step of the way, it was terrible and other people felt it too,” he recalls sadly. Despite doctors’ claims that he was too young for cancer at 26, Hamill learned the harsh truth.
That “smell of death” along with the swollen end and excruciating pain was actually a symptom of penile cancer. According to Macmillan Cancer Support, around 700 people in Britain are diagnosed with penile cancer each year. The American Cancer Society reports that the disease affects less than one in 100,000 men annually in the U.S., but estimates that there will be approximately 2,260 new cases by 2026.
Hamill only learned of his diagnosis after his brother rushed him to the emergency room. He found him unconscious in the car in a pool of blood. The worker in the food industry was subsequently transferred to a specialized department in Manchester, where he was diagnosed with penile cancer in April 2019. Before he was declared healthy three months later, he had to undergo circumcision and amputation of half of his penis. As a result of the procedure, the length of his limb was reduced from the original eight inches (approx. 20 cm) to four (approx. 10 cm).
“I was very lucky that I was gifted above average. If I was average, I would have maybe two or three centimeters left and the functionality would no longer be there,” he joked. “Dating has never been a problem, it’s more about me adapting and learning new things. I have a whole new ‘tool’ and I have to figure out how it works because it’s completely different,” he explained. Seven years after his diagnosis and partial penectomy, the 33-year-old Hamill is now in remission and has become a father.
“They told me that I would never have children because the operation affected my urethra. Today I have a four-year-old son,” she rejoices about the boy born in 2022.Everything is still functional and I can have children,” he boasted. However, Hamill admits that he sometimes struggles with his own psyche when it comes to intimacy. “I wonder if a woman will think it looks weird. I’m still insecure about it,” he admitted. It took Steven years to come to terms with the size change. Today, he tells anyone who has even the faintest feeling that something is wrong with their body to see a professional.
“The best advice I can give: If something doesn’t feel right, don’t be embarrassed and wait for it to go away. Contact someone, feel free to contact me online, and I’ll guide you. But 100% seek help and don’t leave it to the last minute,” he says to the public.
According to the UK’s NHS (National Health Service), most cases affect the skin covering the penis (foreskin) or the glans (tip of the penis).
The most common symptoms include:
- A growth, lump or wound that does not heal within four weeks
- Rash
- Bleeding
- Foul-smelling discharge
- Problems with stretching the foreskin
- Unexplained changes in skin color
Other symptoms may include:
- A lump in the groin
- Fatigue
- Abdominal pain
- Unexplained weight loss
Steven Hamill had penile cancer.
Source:
TikTok/@stevenhamillstories
