“During the pandemic, you naturally kept your distance from one another. So it was only later on in the year when we went on a caravan trip and were in close proximity to each other, sat face to face, I saw how uneven Stuart’s face looked.”
But Stuart, now back home in Widnes, didn’t want to make a fuss. It was only when their daughter came to visit and was shocked by the lumps now showing on Stuart’s neck and the noticeable change in his speech, that he finally went and spoke with his GP who ordered an urgent PET scan.
The results showed tongue cancer in the base of Stuart’s tongue and in October 2020 he began five weeks of daily radiotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, followed by chemotherapy.
Stuart said: “The night before my treatment started, Carol and I went to see the Blackpool Illuminations and promised each other we’d come back when my treatment was finished.”
Stuart stayed well during his treatment, even opting to be part of a clinical trial: “Even though it was another string to my bow in terms of fighting my cancer, my main reason for taking part was to give something back. If the cancer research and knowledge gained from my participation can help someone going through the same in the future, then sign me up!”
However, it was after his treatment when he was home recovering that Stuart really felt the full effects of his treatment.
“When you’re having treatment every day, you know what to expect, you’re in a routine. There’s people around you to help and if you have any worries there’s always someone there to address that. But when I went home and the worries continued, I really started to struggle.
“This is why I’m eternally grateful for the Speech and Language Therapy Team at Clatterbridge. Heulwen and the team took over absolutely every aspect of care, guidance, advice, and support. I couldn’t have made the progress I did without them.”
Dr Heulwen Sheldrick, Principal Speech & Language Therapist at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre supported Stuart’s recovery. She said: “Stuart had a feeding tube fitted at the start of his treatment and our main focus was to adjust what/how to eat and drink in order to safely remove the tube. It can be quite frightening to do this, relearning how to swallow and use the tongue in a different way.
“As a retired teacher, Stuart was really concerned about losing his ability to speak. But between the team’s support, Carol’s encouragement and Stuart’s hard work through speech and language therapy, he is now communicating in the clearest and most effective way possible.”
Stuart got the all clear in March 2022 and is now sharing his story in Mouth Cancer Awareness Month to encourage others to see their GP sooner than he did if they have any concerns.
He says: “Don’t think you’re invincible like I did. Speak with a professional if you’re experiencing any symptoms and put yourself in the hands of the experts.
“No matter how independent or tough you think you are, you can’t cure this by yourself. Accept the help of people who are highly skilled and qualified. Have trust and faith in their abilities and go into everything with a positive attitude taking it a day at a time.”
