Living With My X: The True Story of One Man and a Rogue Chromosome (Stephen Malherbe)

• Author: Stephen Malherbe

Condition & Size

• Size: Large (Format C. Typically 13.8x21.6 or 14.0x22 cm)
• Book Type: Paperback
• CAI Condition Score: 7/10.
• CAI Condition Description: Very Good

About This Book

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. Symptoms of the condition include small testicles, resulting in sterility; gynaecomastia, the enlargement of the breasts; low energy levels and self-esteem; communication and learning difficulties; developmental delays; and decreased libido, among many others. 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. Many uphill battles later, Stephen reached a point of spiritual strength from which he could begin to tell his story. Living with my X is a unique and deeply personal account of a man living in the shadow of a genetic condition that is less rare than one thinks. 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 syn-drome, Stephen was one of those who did.