Grade-A student, 23, ‘killed himself after botched circumcision left him in constant agony’
A GRADE-A student killed himself after a botched circumcision left him in constant agony, his devastated mum revealed.
Alex Hardy, 23, from Cheshire, timed an email to reach his mum 12 hours after he tragically took his own life.
In the heart-breaking note he explained how surgery on his foreskin two years previously had ruined his life, the BBC reports.
He described the circumcision operation as “male genital mutilation” and hoped others would avoid his painful path.
Alex wrote: “Know that I went peacefully and am now in a state of peace that was impossible following this mutilation. I died in 2015, not now.”
“Where I once had a sexual organ I have now been left with a numb, botched stick. My sexuality has been left in tatters.”
MALE GENITAL MUTILATION
Alex had excelled at school with a flair for English and history but decided to move to Canada after visiting on a skiing trip.
Then 18, he deferred from university and moved across the Atlantic – enjoying the country so much he stayed for five years and obtained residency.
Popular with co-workers, Alex had many friends and was known as the “super-smart Brit with impeccable manners”, his mum Lesley said.
However, while he thrived at work he was struggling with a condition that had plagued him since puberty.
Alex suffered from phimosis, which is where the skin around the penis is too tight to pull back – causing problems for men when having sex or urinating.
CONSTANT AGONY
In 2015 he went to an urologist who “immediately suggested circumcision”, Alex wrote in his email, a procedure the NHS advises to take as a “last resort”.
The then 21-year-old booked himself in for the procedure but suffered constant painful physical issues after, with the head of his penis experiencing constant stimulation.
This stopped Alex from being able to carry out physical activity without pain as well as erectile dysfunction, and burning and itching sensations.
He wrote in his email: “Nature knows best – how can chopping off a section of healthy tissue improve nature’s evolved design?”
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Alex sought medical and psychological help after the operation – but sadly it was not enough to elevate his pain and he took his own life on November 25, 2017.
His family filed a complaint against the urologist who advised the lad and was told an inquiry had been launched.
However, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia refused to “disclose the existence of a complaint against a physician, and only may do so if the complaint leads to formal discipline”.
WHAT IS PHIMOSIS?
- Phimosis is when foreskin is too tight to be pulled back over the head of the penis.
- It is common in babies and toddlers, but in older children it may be the result of a skin condition that has caused scarring. It isn’t usually a problem unless it causes symptoms.
- Immediate treatment is needed in cases where phimosis causes problems such as difficulty urinating.
- Circumcision (surgically removing part or all of the foreskin) may be considered if other treatments have failed, but it carries risks such as bleeding and infection.
- This means it’s usually only recommended as a last resort, although it can sometimes be the best and only treatment option.
- Alternatively, surgery to release the adhesions (areas where the foreskin is stuck to the glans) may be possible. This will preserve the foreskin but may not always prevent the problem recurring.
Source: NHS
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