How a sharp-eyed dentist helped a Sully woman fight off cancer
Nearly11,000 people were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year.
SULLY woman Paula Rees has her dentist to thank after a routine appointment led to her being diagnosed with mouth cancer.
Now, together with the Welsh cancer charity Tenovus, she is urging others not to ignore signs and symptoms after what looked like a cold sore turned out to be a tumour growing in her lip.
For the Sully mum of two, her interior design business took a backseat whilst she received treatment, which included surgery from her lip to her chin last November.
Paula said: “I was only expecting a small part of my lip to be removed. However, due to the root of the cancer, I had a large incision which meant having multiple stitches inside and outside of my mouth, which left me with a scar that looks like an upside-down Eiffel Towe”
As a businesswoman who has managed her own company for 30 years, she wondered how she was going to get by financially. Then the emotional toll of living with a facial disfigurement hit hard. Tenovus helped to provide help, hope and wellbeing at a time when she needed it most.
Paula (56) said: “I have dealt with a lot of health issues. From the age of 18, I was paralysed due to secondary measles and I had to learn to walk again after being told I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.
“I was also told I wouldn’t be able to have children naturally and so I am very proud to have a son and daughter, who are now grown up and are my world and mean everything to me. But you need a strong positive attitude to get through cancer and thanks to Tenovus, I was given the support that I needed, and they helped me to take back control of my life.
“Within a week of seeing my dentist I was in hospital having a biopsy of my lip. I was called back the following week for my results. They sat me down and before I knew it there was a team of people surrounding me, that’s when I knew it was cancer. I just said, it’s okay, I know it’s cancer, let’s get it dealt with. The team were truly epic.
“It has been a hard few years for me and it has taken a lot for me to open up and tell my story, but I felt I needed to make others aware about possible signs and symptoms of cancer so it can be caught and treated early.”
The latest figures show that 10,825 people in the UK were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year – an increase of more than 38 per cent compared with 20 years ago. 78 per cent of cases occur in the over-55 age group.
Paula is now looking forward to re-launching her business in Sully and getting back to work doing what she loves best, making others feel good about their surroundings.
She added: “I want to thank everyone who has supported me and taken the time to wish me well. People have been so kind, from those in the NHS to friends, family and those in the business community.”
She also has her best friend and companion by her side, her dog Pebbles, who she counts as being part of her recovery.
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