Mom reveals her heartbreak after discovering her 8-year-old son has a hidden vagina

UK: An emotional 40-year-old mom Leanne Owen from Blackpool, Lancashire has told of her horror after she discovered that her 8-year-old son had a hidden vagina. Leanne said the shocking news caused her to miscarry her new baby.
In May 2015, Leanne, a mother of two found out that her son Harry Blunden had rare condition called bifid scrotum and urethral duplication after years of searching for a diagnosis.

Leanne who was pregnant at the time had a miscarriage a month later and it later emerged that the foetus had been lost at six weeks, just the same time she got the shocking news about Harry's genitalia.

Leanne said;

“When I went in for my first pregnancy scan, they found blood in my urine and I was told that I had lost my baby at six weeks.

“I was devastated and when I went back and tracked the weeks back, that would have made it to around May 18 last year – which was the same week that I was told that Harry had a vagina.”

Young Harry was born with a several defects including no anus, no urethra hole in his penis, three holes in his heart, a twisted spinal cord and kidney problems.

His bifid scrotum, which involves him having a deep midline cleft in his scrotum which causes two labia folds, was discovered one year ago.

Harry, who also has severe dyspraxia, has undergone more than 12 different operations and has also been given a colostomy bag.

Leanne was more concerned about Harry's lack of penis growth and has searched globally for a diagnosis for his condition.

After discovering that Harry actually had bifid scrotum with features associated with female genitalia, Leanne found out that he actually had VACTERL association, an acronym used for non-random co-occurrence of multiple birth defects. 

“I knew there was something internally that was wrong with Harry as well as the other defects that were picked when he was born, Leanne said.

“I’ve spent the months since joining Facebook groups, support groups and asking experts around the world to try and find out what was wrong with Harry.

“When I found out that it was VACTERL association, I just broke down because it was such a huge breakthrough and now we can get the treatment to get him on the right path in life.”

Harry who had been treated since birth at Blackpool Victoria Hospital before he was moved to Manchester Children’s Hospital is now been treated at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool on his mother's request.

“It breaks my heart as it takes eight of us to get him down there because he is seven stone, but it’s for his own good.

“Harry has always got a smile on his face, which is amazing when you think of all that he has been through.

“If you looked at him, you would never guess that there was anything wrong with him because he is such a happy little boy who loves to sing and dance, and everybody in the local area knows him like a celebrity.”