The weekend, I attended the Oral Cancer Foundation Walk for Awareness in Andover NJ. What an inspiring event, as always! I met Andrew, diagnosed at 26 with tonsil cancer shortly after being married, now a 3-year survivor. Trevor and Todd were buddies from their sons being on the same soccer team….6 months after one got oral cavity cancer, the other …
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Eva’s Keynote Speech Influenced My Career Path: Improve Dental Care For Cancer Patients
Dear Eva, In January of 2012, when I was in college, I volunteered in the oral oncology department of the British Columbia Cancer Agency. During this time I was exposed to dentistry and the challenges faced by those undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer, but I didn’t really connect the dots between cancer and dentistry at that time. I …
#1 On Your Priority List: You
Some dental professionals do a cursory screening; some do a very thorough one. There is no standard or required level of quality, except one: an oral cancer screening should be performed at every dental check-up. I spoke with a dentist (about 50 years old) who told me she never learned how to perform an oral cancer screening in dental school so she doesn’t …
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Tongue Tasting Sectors
When I tell people I have had 1/3 of my tongue reconstructed, the treatment for late stage oral cancer, the first question they ask is if I can taste everything. fortunately, taste is bilateral so I taste everything on the one side. Ed Merrell who has had his entire tongue removed, says there are taste buds in the little bit …
Oral Cancer Survivors: The Bond We Share
We had a 5:00 AM date for coffee at the airport. His shift as the onsite airport policeman started at 6:30 but after he heard my interview on the radio he was anxious to meet me in a person, even if it meant at 5 in the morning. In the interview, I shared my passion about raising awareness about oral …