‘I had my penis chopped off and it is boosted my relationship with the missus’

A brave dad who had a shocking four inches of his manhood “chopped off” has claimed the ordeal has only made his love life stronger.

Patrick Howard was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in October 2018 and underwent a procedure to remove his prostate. When he noticed itching and redness on his penis in April 2020, he was initially told it could be thrush.

But a specialist later confirmed it was an “aggressive” form of penile cancer, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), and said his diagnosis is terminal.

The 65-year-old who is now retired and lives with his wife Laura, 59, in Liverpool had joked “surely they’re not going to chop it off?” when he got the bombshell news.

However his consultant said a penectomy was recommended as the best course of treatment and he underwent surgery to remove two-thirds – approximately four inches – of his penis.

After lumps continued to appear post-surgery, Patrick then underwent radiotherapy, followed by two types of chemotherapy, which he described as “horrendous.”

But over the past few months, there has been no further progression of the disease.

Speaking about intimacy with Laura to PA Real Life, he explained: “It’s not penetrative, but there’s a whole load of other things you can do, and there’s still a lot of pleasure and sensation.

“It’s only strengthened our strong relationship.”

Patrick and Laura, who married in 2021 and have six children between them, recently went on a road trip around Italy and Patrick said he feels “amazing” at the moment.

Although he is uncertain whether he will need further treatment, he wants to raise more awareness of penile cancer and HPV and encourage men to speak out.

He said: “I didn’t even know penile cancer existed.

“All men should go and get checked and keep their partner in the loop from the beginning – I wouldn’t have been able to get through this without Laura.

“Men are crap at talking about stuff, but definitely talk to your nearest and dearest and don’t be embarrassed.”

Laura added: “It has been so hard… but because it’s a terminal diagnosis, and the fact that it was in 2020 and he’s still here and really well, we almost feel it was all worth it because we’ve been given extra time together and had amazing adventures.”

Patrick said: “My penile cancer is caused by HPV, and most people will get HPV at some point in their lives.

“If you have HPV, it’s very unlikely you’ll get cancer, but more people need to know about the possibility.

“The HPV inoculation campaign for boys and girls needs to be much more widespread.”

NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, said: “We’re very sorry to hear about Patrick’s prognosis, but very thankful to him for speaking openly about his experience of penile cancer and his call for awareness about this form of the disease.

“In England, the HPV vaccine is offered to all children between the ages of 11-13, those up to the age of 25 who have missed their vaccination, or men who have sex with men.

“Anyone with worrying symptoms should contact their GP because detecting cancer early gives the best chance of successful treatment.”

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