“A long journey” by Tyra Langille

In February 2021, I noticed a minor white-like canker sore on the side of my tongue; not overthinking it, I went on with my days as usual, working, eating, and hanging outwithfriends.

In March, I noticed it wasn’t going away & was getting kind of annoying; I saw my doctor, who at the time just casually thought it may have been a case of oral thrush & sent me on my way with some medications. May came along, and it had become more like a bump, still a little white I was at the dentist for a cleaning & filling; I let them know about this spot, and they told me it looked fine, and they went on with the cleaning/filling

A few weeks later, it started to get more irritated, as it was irritated by the recently filled tooth. It felt as if it wasbeing scratchedby thatnewfilling.

I went back in to have them shave down the filling, and again, I was sent on my way with no further examination.

With oral numbing gels from my doctor & alot of Tylenol I had started to get more worried, as it got more irritated with me talking, drinking or even eating… I had started to lose a lot of weight, ear pains, horrible daily headaches, fainting & not being able to eat, drink or really talk. I In August I wentbacktomydoctorinhopeshecouldgetmeareferraltoaENT…

September came & I had a appointment with a ENT— in that appointment he wasted no time in wanting to find out what this was, we did a biopsy that day. On September 21st, 2021 I got the news I had SCC Oral cancer of the tongue stage 2, which surprised not only myself, but the ENT. Not having any risk factors to get this type of cancer like heavy smoking, heavy drinking, HPV or being a male in my late 50’s… it was a confusing moment. He sent off a referral to the ENT surgeon at the UniversityOfAlbertahospitalnearbyandIwasscheduledtomeetmysurgeoninOctoberof2021.

Hearing the words “it’s cancer” is the most heartbreaking, life-altering word imaginable…especially being told this at 25 years old…I instantly went into fight mode, ready to take it on. When I met with my surgeon, Dr. Hadi Seikaly, he calmed the matter. He made sure I understood & was aware of everything happening & what the future could look like. All my trust was in him & his team; they have brought so much comfort to me and my family. I would have a 14-hour surgery where they would be taking half my tongue & reconstructing it with my inner left arm, a complete neck dissection&askingraphfrommyleftupperthigh.OnOctober28th,2021,mylifechangedforever.

After a 14-hour surgery that altered my life mentally, physically & emotionally, I was declared NED, meaning my surgeon got all the cancer, and I was clear. What we thought was stage 2 ended up being the beginning stages of stage 3; it was fast, aggressive & fast-growing. I was then in hospital for 14 days as I recovered; I had a trach tube & a feeding tube. I met with physical therapists and dietitians daily; I was on extreme pain meds as I healed from the surgery. Being in the hospital through COVID was horrible; on top of not being able to speak for myself, I’m thankful that my parents & older sister were able to visit me. They would stay with me from morning until night, which got me through—knowing that when I went to sleep, I’d wake up with oneofthembythebedtohelpmetakeontheday.

Finally, by the 10th day, I was able to get my trach tube out after a few complications along with my feeding tube. I was on a liquid diet and couldn’t have been happier to sip water again; for the next 4 days, I was working up from a liquid to a soft food diet so that I could be released. Once I was released, I could get comfy at home & have some home nurses change my dressings until we could do it independently. In December, I met with my oncologist at the Cross Cancer for radiation. We decided on doing 30 rounds, internal & external, with my mouth propped open & I finished that on February1st,2022!

The Month of April is Oral Cancer Month

Since then, I had to reteach myself how to speak, eat & swallow. I spent months not being able to communicate normally and not being able to eat without issues or pains, but I pushed through. Having to accept my new normal, my speech issues & my physical appearance was challenging— my scars on my neck & arm, which I can’t hide. I wear these scars bravely & proudly, but sometimes the stares from strangers can be tough, especially when speaking, as you can see the colourdifferenceinmytongue.

Through physio, swallow tests & speech therapists, I have been able to get back to a new “normal,” Which is great, but I deal with horrible side effects from radiation & issues just with the type of surgery I had..it’s been a lot on my body. Throughout this journey, I was told I was in the 25% of never knowing how I got this cancer; no one my age that I knew or connected with had my cancer and support groups were filled with older adults with lots of health risks that pointed to whytheygotthistypeofcancer.

This then led to 2 interviews on TV here in my city, one of which I partnered with a local dental office to offer free oral cancer screenings for an entire month during April (Oral Cancer Awareness Month) & we raised $500 for oral cancer research! Having my story be featured in many articles & a recent magazine with Alberta Cancer Foundation, I have also been able to attend 3 conferences so far, 2 where I attended to learn how to be an advocate, how to uplift stories & raise awareness. The most recent one has been that I spoke at a dental conference, sharing my story & what more can be done as someone who’s been through oral cancer. I have foundmypurpose,beinganadvocateformyself&others.