A man says he was left feeling like a ‘freak’ after a rare penile cancer forced him to have his manhood amputated two days before Christmas.
Shaun Evans, 55, from Wolverhampton said he initially dismissed what felt like a ‘bad bruise’ on the organ, but became far more concerned when he noticed blood while showering and what looked like a cold sore at the base of his penis.
He told his doctor, who was treating him following a heart attack earlier that year, and he was referred to a specialist.
Although Mr Evans’s doctor suspected it was penile cancer, medics needed to undertake a biopsy to be sure and to give him his diagnosis.
But the blood thinning medications he needed following his heart attack meant this had to be delayed by months and, while waiting, Mr Evans’ symptoms left him in so much agony that he couldn’t even walk.
Shaun Evans, 55, from Wolverhampton said it first felt like a ‘bad bruise’ but became concerned when he noticed blood while showering, in June 2022
He was given the devastating news that they would likely need to amputate his penis and had the operation in December 2022 to remove it — two days before Christmas
Finally receiving his diagnosis months after he first experienced symptoms he was given the devastating news that not only did he have penile cancer, but the best course of action was to have his manhood amputated.
Mr Evans went under the knife for the life-changing op just two days before Christmas in 2022.
Bravely speaking now after learning to live without a penis, and hoping to raise awareness of the disease, Mr Evans said he has come to terms with the amputation and is happy to be up walking and without pain.
While there is a possibility he can have a penis reconstruction he’ll have to wait as medics require patients be cancer-free for five years before approving the surgery.
Mr Evans, who previously worked as police support, said that his post-amputation period ‘was the loneliest I’d felt in my life’.
‘It was just numbness. It can seriously effect masculinity,’ he said.
‘I went through all the emotions. I thought “I’m a freak”, “no one is going to want you”.
‘This is the new Shaun. People are going to accept you as you are.’
Penile cancer is rare in the UK, with only around 760 new cases diagnosed each year, according to Cancer Research UK. But cases are predicted to rise to 1,100 per year in the UK by 2038-2040. A growth or sore on your penis, foul smelling discharge, bleeding, a rash or difficulty drawing back your foreskin are all tell-tale signs of the cancer
Mr Evans noticed what looked like a cold sore at the base of his penis and mentioned his symptoms with his cardiologist, while he was at a check up for his heart
Mr Evans already had tough start to 2022 — losing his mum, Sheila, 86, in March and then having a heart attack in April.
And in June that year, just as he started to feel like his old self again, he felt discomfort in his groin.
He recalled: ‘I started feeling uncomfortable. There was a soreness down below. It was like a bad bruise.
‘In July, I was bathing in the shower. I noticed a bit of watered down blood. It was coming from my penis.
‘I was a bit startled. I was alarmed.’
Medics thought he had penile cancer, but still nothing was confirmed and Mr Evans pushed the possible diagnosis to the back of his mind
He then noticed what looked like a cold sore at the base of his penis and mentioned his symptoms to his cardiologist, while he was at a check up for his heart.
He was sent to a drop in centre and was examined before being referred to a specialist consultant from there.
Medics thought he had penile cancer, but needed a biopsy to confirm.
However, due to Mr Evans being on blood thinners for his heart attack this procedure had to be be delayed as the drugs can increase the risk of dangerous blood loss.
With nothing confirmed, Mr Evans pushed the possible diagnosis to the back of his mind.
However, his symptoms progressively got worse and eventually he was left in so much pain he called for an ambulance.
Mr Evans said: ‘The swelling had turned into a big lump. It was horrible.
‘I could just shuffle.’
He went for an ultrasound and was told he had a penile abscess, a collection of pus, and would need an operation to drain it.
Mr Evans was taken to Heartlands hospital, Birmingham and was put on antibiotics in October 2022.
But, again because of the blood thinners, he was also forced to wait for the operation on the abscess.
Mr Evans finally had the surgery to drain the abscess in November 2022 and stayed in hospital for three weeks.
Recalling the aftermath of the procedure, Mr Evans said: ‘It didn’t look like a part of my body anymore,’ he said.
Mr Evans’s long-awaited biopsy was done at the same time as the abscess drainage and tragically, he was given the devastating news on December 15, 2022 that he had penile cancer.
And in a further blow, medics told him he they would likely need to remove his penis.
‘I kind of knew myself. I thought how the hell is this going to return to normal. I was obviously gutted,’ he said.
Mr Evans recalls awaking in the Heartlands hospital after his five-hour amputation on December 23, 2022.
Since the operation he has been regaining his independence again and gets a scan every three months to check he is still cancer free
‘On Christmas day the consultant came to see me and explained that she had to do it,’ Mr Evans recalled.
‘She said: “I had to remove it. I think I have got it all. I managed to retain what goes on beneath the surface”.’
Among the life-altering changes Mr Evans had get used to was only being able to urinate sitting down as medics had rearranged the position of his urethra, the internal tube by which urine is expelled from the body.
‘I go to the toilet like a lady,’ he said.
Since the operation Mr Evans has been regaining his independence again and gets a scan every three months to check he is still cancer free.
He said: ‘I’m taking it day by day. It’s the little things like being able to sit.’
Mr Evans also said he hopes sharing his story will raise awareness about rare and aggressive penile cancer as experts revealed cases are predicted to rise.
Penile cancer is rare in the UK, with only around 760 new cases diagnosed each year, according to Cancer Research UK.
But cases are predicted to rise to 1,100 per year in the UK by 2038-2040.
A growth or sore on your penis, foul smelling discharge, bleeding, a rash or difficulty drawing back your foreskin are all tell-tale signs of the cancer.
