- When Steven Hamill noticed his penis swelling and bleeding, an emergency surgery and a biopsy confirmed he had penile cancer
- Steven underwent a partial penectomy and extensive treatment to stop the disease from spreading
- Now in remission and a proud father, Steven is sharing his story to raise awareness of the disease
Here Steven Hamill, 33, tells his story in his words
Pulling down my boxers, I felt relief as I took a morning wee.
Peering down, eyes half closed, I noticed the head of my penis was swollen.
‘Something is wrong,’ I said, showing my partner.
‘Could it have happened at footy?’ I wondered.
I’d been clipped by the spikes on someone’s boots during a game.
That week, in March 2019, was the fourth anniversary of the death of my beloved dad, Mike, who passed away at 50 from a brain aneurysm. The last thing on my mind was going to the doc.
So I did the worst thing possible and ignored it…
A week later it was still swollen, and I was making a cuppa in the kitchen when I saw blood dripping onto my foot.
‘Jesus!’ I screamed, as it pooled on the floor.
As I pulled down my pants to investigate, a massive blood clot fell. Terrified, I raced to my GP.
‘Sounds like balanitis,’ he said, explaining it was often caused by a bacterial infection.
‘Could it be penile cancer?’ I grimaced after I’d researched the symptoms online.
‘No chance. I’ve never heard anyone your age having it,’ he said.
I was only 26.
Relieved, I took steroid cream for the infection.
Five days later, my brother Lee drove me to Macca’s to distract me.
Eating burgers in the car park, I suddenly passed out. Coming to in the passenger seat, I realised I was in a puddle of blood. As Lee raced me to hospital, I used serviettes to soak up the wetness.
I had an appointment to see a urologist later that week, so at hospital they cleaned me up and sent me home. Within days though, I was in anguish, with sharp, shooting pains in my glans – the head of my penis. It felt like a massive needle was repeatedly pricking my penis. The only thing that soothed the pain was warm baths.
‘This isn’t right,’ my girlfriend and family worried.
On painkillers and sporting adult nappies, I braved my sister’s wedding three days later, where I gave a speech.
As I toasted the happy couple’s future, I pushed away thoughts about my health. I also felt self-conscious of the odour coming from my pants, which smelled like a decaying carcass.
READ MORE: Cancer shock: My penis was amputated
At the specialist’s clinic the next morning, he referred me to a cancer clinic, concerned there was something more sinister going on.
It can’t be, I thought. My GP said I was too young.
The swelling was so bad I was told I’d have to be booked in for a circumcision, so they could investigate what was going on underneath.
‘Just take the whole thing off. I don’t care anymore,’ I cried, in agony.
While waiting on a date for the op, I suffered the biggest bleed yet during a bath, and the water in the tub turned a chilling shade of red.
The next day I underwent an emergency circumcision.
After the op, my doctor recounted how, when my foreskin was removed, a mass of dead tissue fell from my penis and was sent away for a biopsy.
I’d been left with a hole on the underside.
The foul odour I’d smelled was my flesh rotting. While I waited for the results, my specialist recommended I undergo a partial penectomy, as he was confident that I did have cancer and wanted to stop the spread.
I was terrified, but wanting the best chance at survival, I agreed.
READ MORE: My sore back was cancer
Four days later, I was wheeled in for my op.
Coming to after surgery, I was heavily bandaged.
The next day when I got a peek at my new pecker, I was in shock. Docs had removed four inches – half of what I’d had before.
Discharged the following day, I avoided looking at my body, ashamed at what I’d lost. Two days later, back in the specialist’s office, the results were in.
‘I’m afraid it is penile cancer,’ he said, adding I’d likely only live for 12 months. ‘We’ll see about chemotherapy or radiation once we know how many lymph nodes are affected.’
The doctors thought my best bet was a groin dissection, which I had soon after, to remove lymph nodes from the area to prevent the cancer from spreading further.
Incredibly, in August 2019, I was declared in remission when doctors revealed there were no further signs of cancer.
But feeling dejected at the thought of facing the rest of my life with only half a penis, I locked myself away, and my relationship broke down.
I went to a support group, but being decades younger than the other members, I felt like I didn’t belong, so I left.
READ MORE: A kiss from her husband revealed Sarah’s cancer
During the pandemic, I hit an all-time low, but my family’s support helped me through the darkness.
When restrictions eased, I built up the courage to go on a date with a girl I’d met online.
Incredibly, she fell pregnant the first time we slept together.
I’d had no idea if I could even conceive naturally, but becoming a dad was a dream come true.
Despite us not staying together, we were determined to be the best parents to our child.
In December 2021, our little man was born and he has given me a new lease on life.
Wanting to raise awareness of penile cancer, aged 30, I partnered with several charities and raised thousands for research.
I’ve also taken to social media to extend my reach, particularly to a younger audience, who often tell me they’d never heard of penile cancer until coming across my page.
Now I want to do stand-up comedy to further educate others on cancer, but with a dose of humour.
My friends have lovingly nicknamed me ‘Stumpy’ – a title I happily share with people, if it means raising awareness of this horrible disease.
My son, now four, is my world, and I am so proud to be his dad.
My message for everyone is, if anything feels wrong, get it checked out. It might just save your life.
Follow Steven @therealstevensstories on Instagram
If you need support contact Lifeline for free 24/7 on 13 1114 (Aus) or 0800 543 354 (NZ)
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
