After his diagnosis Dave, from Runcorn, received chemotherapy and radiotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, as well as surgery at Aintree Hospital site for a hemiglossectomy where half of his tongue was removed.
After finishing this treatment in May 2020, but continuing to experience discomfort with what was a suspected swollen saliva gland, Dave received the news a few months later that his cancer had returned on the other side of his tongue and he would have to go through the entire process again.
Dave said: “I just remember being really concerned with how I was going to eat or talk. But with the help of the Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Team at Clatterbridge, I re-learnt how to do both – twice!”
Surgery, radiotherapy and other head and neck cancer treatments can affect people’s ability to speak or swallow. Clatterbridge’s specialist SLT Team are experienced in assessing and treating a wide range of communication, voice, speech and swallowing problems. They provide crucial support before, during and after treatment to help patients manage these effects and live their best quality of life.
Dr Heulwen Sheldrick, Principal Speech & Language Therapist at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre played an important role in Dave’s recovery. She said: “Dave loves the outdoors and is an avid hiker and wild camper, so our main focus was to find a way to keep his energy up during treatment so he could continue being active. Working with Dave, we were able to adapt his way of eating so he was getting enough calories to keep hiking.”
Dave added: “We joked I was one of the only patients who actually managed to gain weight during treatment thanks to a lot of soup, supplement drinks, and full fat milk!”
10,825 people in the UK were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year*, yet awareness of the major signs and symptoms are as low as 20%*. This Mouth Cancer Awareness Month, Dave is sharing his story to encourage others to speak with their GP if they have any concerns, even if they can be explained away as symptoms of other illnesses.
“Speak to a professional, ask for tests, be persistent.”
Dave has come a long way since getting the all clear, now completing long distance walks like the 82 mile East Highland Trail and 106 mile Ayrshire Coastal Path.
“It’s not all been plain sailing, there’s still some aspects of speech I struggle with and foods I can’t eat. But I was stubborn and determined to find a way to continue doing some of the things I love during a difficult time and am incredibly grateful to the team at Clatterbridge for helping me do this.
“I always say ‘I didn’t see cancer coming, but cancer didn’t see me coming either’!”
*Mouth Cancer Foundation (November 2024) Mouth Cancer Facts and Figures. Available at: https://
