Oh, yes, that issue was gut-wrenching. And like all the other times he was traumatized, he never sought any help in dealing with it after his body had recovered:
And then there was that issue where he found a cat-mutant. He fell in love with her. But it turned out she wasn't a mutant with cat-features, she was a cat that had been mutated.
Sure, we can have our heroes go through tough times. But stacking misery upon misery with no light in between is just too bleak.