Baby with 'bent' penis needs US surgery to have ‘better life’

19-month-old Jaxson Hanlon has a ‘chordee’ due to his micro gene deletion syndrome, meaning the urethral opening is under the penis instead of at the tip.

Medics were stumped trying to figure out the tots gender before scans revealed he was a boy.

But little Jaxson will never be able to father kids, pee standing up, or have a normal working penis unless he gets expensive surgery.

His devastated mother Kate Hanlon was asked to abort Jaxson due to complications but refused.

It comes after the 28-year-old was diagnosed with cervical cancer and told if she wanted to get pregnant she would have to try immediately.

Her dad Jason Hanlon, 49, gave her money for IVF treatment which let her fall pregnant with twins Jaxson and Jason right away.

They are now looking after the babies together and have shared parental rights.

But sadly Jaxson was strick down with health issues in the womb and only survived the pregnancy because his twin brother held him in the right position for nine months.

This stopped him from being detached from the placenta, saving his life.

Now his parents mum Kate and papa Jason, want to take the tot to Texas for private surgeries after hearing ‘horror stories’ about UK operations.

She doesn’t trust ‘inexperienced NHS surgeons’ and wants experienced American surgeons to help Jaxson.

Kate said: “When I was pregnant with Jaxson I found out their was an issue at my 20 week scan.

“It didn’t look like he had fingers, instead it was like he had a boxing glove and their were issues with his genitalia.

“We couldn’t figure out if he was male or female, I had further scans but they couldn’t tell.

“He doesn’t pee out where a normal boy does. His penis is bent and tiny and the lower scrotum is split in half and needs lifted up.

“He did a genetic test and his hormones say he is definitely a boy, now he needs around three operations to fix it.”

After being born Jaxson was faced with more health problems including sensory issues causing him to rip his hair out and be disturbed by loud noises or commotions.

He also suffers from severe hypospadias and amniotic banding syndrome, as well as inutero growth restriction which left doctors worried he wouldn’t have fingers and means he may lose his arm.

The child’s learning difficulties mean he struggles to eat as he often refuses to swallow sometimes holding food in his cheeks for an hour.

Mum Kate added: “He breaks his heart whenever you leave a room, everything’s end of the world for him.

“We didn’t think he would be able to walk he’s so skinny and flabby but he’s managing.

“It’s difficult to think about the future im terrified thinking about these operations.

“The seminars we went to in Glasgow at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital were scary stuff, they are quite stressful not just on me but the rest of the family hearing about what he has to face.

“All we have heard are horror stories about UK operations everyone needs to go to the USA to get repairs.

“If he gets these operations his penis would have normal appearance and function.

“He could stand up to pee and it would go normally, he wouldn’t need any surgeries when he’s older.

“If he doesn’t have the surgery he won’t be able to father children and will have a lot of problems.

“The scar tissues will also give him a lot of embarrassment and if we wait till he is a teenager their will be a lot more risks.

“We just want him to have a normal life as much as possible and if we can get to America for the surgeries that will help.”

Papa Jason said: “The chordee is the bend which needs to be straightened via surgery and the hypospadias is the urethral opening placement repair. Two separate issues but resulting in three operations.

“The hyperspadia repair is called the Snodgrass and was developed by Mr Warren Snodgrass in Texas whom I’m in contact with.

“He told us they get lots of patients from the UK to correct failed operations.

“I have joint parental responsibility of the twins due to Kate needing follow up treatment for cancer, it’s a plan put in place just in case the worse happens.

“I’m selling and a few guitars not worth much but every little brings us that much closer to helping him have a better life.”

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We are sorry a patient’s mother feels this way about the treatment options available.

“We would like to invite Ms Hanlon to get in touch with our team so our specialists can provide further reassurance regarding the safety of the procedure and the expertise of staff involved.

“As with any surgery, if a patient or their carers are unsure about options, we always welcome further consultation appointment with the relevant specialists to answer any questions they might have.”

You can help raise cash to get Jaxson surgery by clicking here.