Living With My X: The True Story of One Man and a Rogue Chromosome

Description

Between 1 in 500 and 1 in 1 000 men are born with an 'extra' X chromosome. The symptoms associated with this vary widely. Although many men remain entirely unaware of their additional X chromosome, and few boys who have it go on to develop Klinefelter's syndrome, Stephen was one of those who did. The symptoms associated with this vary widely, but can include small testicles, resulting in sterility; the enlargement of the breasts; low energy levels and self-esteem; communication and learning difficulties; developmental delays; and decreased libido. Although many men remain entirely unaware of their additional X chromosome, and few boys who have it go on to develop Klinefelter's syndrome, Stephen was one of those who did. As a young boy, Stephen always felt different from his friends – he was smaller, less self-assured and often sickly. He struggled with classroom learning and school sports. Only as a shy, embarrassed 'sixteen-year-old with the body of a boy of ten' was Stephen diagnosed with Klinefelter's syndrome, a medical disorder resulting from his cells having one X chromosome more than is normal for males. With appropriate treatment, Stephen's body began to develop into that of a man, and he felt able to embark on a 'normal' life, one that included girlfriends, marriage and a career. But his struggles were far from over, as the syndrome had left its indelible mark on this man's psyche, affecting his life in ways he could never have imagined. Only after many hard-learnt lessons and a number of traumatic and life-changing events did Stephen reach a point of spiritual strength from which he could begin to tell his story. Living with My X is the astonishingly frank and deeply personal account of a man living in the shadow of a genetic condition that is less rare than one thinks.