Our Haggis was diagnosed with mouth cancer in early March 2023, he was told he would under go a ten hour life changing operation which potentially would save his life. The consultants were very positive that they would be able to get all of the cancer out and get Haggis back to normal living, keeping a close eye on him of course.

Fast forward to April Haggis smashed the surgery having to have all his lower teeth removed, jaw broken , three quarters of his tongue removed and rebuilt along with a full neck disection to remove lymph nodes and a feeding peg fitted. Family and friends popping in to visit really helped pass his day but he really loved when the boys would arrive and he could get any gossip.Then his first bump in the road ended him back in theatre to sort out a hole in his mouth which lead to a nasty infection but, after 3 long hard weeks in hospital Haggis was home.

This particular cancer robs the person of their identity. Their ability to eat,drink and talk like before , to see there appearance change over night , to see the one you love struggle each day was hard but I can't even begin to imagine how Haggis felt inside. On the outside though.... wow he was smashing it , whatever was asked of him by the consultants, nurses, speach and language he done it " Go for it" & "lets do it" was always his answer, he filled us all with such confidence and hope for a bright future.

So May,June & July were great, Haggis was recovering well, getting his fluids in and even trying little bits of food. The Speach and language therapist and dietitian were amazed by his progress at every follow-up appointment, again this is great, he is in full swing recovery.

August landed and Haggis was happy to be talking teeth but was also the start of some ear ache so back into hospital to let them have a nosey and get dental implant post's put in for later when he was getting his " Better than turkey teeth" in but sadly after this visit the pain ramped up and it was the start of a constant ache in his ear and head and by September the pain was unbearable, so back to the consultant who thought nerve pain/ damage were the culprit here and even said "highly unlikely to be the return of cancer"but scheduled a MRI for peace of mind for the end of September. This is where Haggis reached his limit and had to admitted into hospital to get the pain under control and allowed them to do a biopsy to rule anything out.

Then comes the 4th of October. Haggis ,his mum sandra and I drove up to Dundee, I could feel my heart racing the whole way up then the waiting room nerves kick in till his name gets called. I just remember his consultants face as we walked towards him in the corridor. There was no smiles , only sadness in his eyes. It's back . The cancer is back and it's worse than before. Our world fell apart right there in that room. You could tell the consultant and nurses were absolutely destroyed when delivering this news, Haggis was their patient who was kicking cancer's ass.

So another 10 to 12 hours operation was booked but this time nothing was clear cut, the cancer had attached it's self to his jaw bone and wrapped it's self round the carotid artery so they had to perform a bypass which came with its own complications, his consultant said it will be like going into a warzone blindfolded.

So just short of 2 weeks before the op it was family time and every minute counted as the future looked uncertain. Time with his sister Lorraine , his mum, dad, myself and the kids was so important and necessary for Haggis for preparation for this next surgery, we were all in this together "your battle is our battle " we had to be strong to keep haggis strong. Then Christmas Day came early for us all and Haggis’s mum and Dad hosted the special day. With the kids, Lorraine and family coming and its here where I proposed to Haggis and then to have him propose back to me, I loved this day so much. That night we were talking about the "what if's" which turned into the "we will's" he had such a fight in him to get through this operation, all he wanted was to spend as much time with family.

Then Operation Day 17th Of October delivered another blow. How much more can a person take. It's Terminal, the words burl in my head, it's terminal. He's alone with the consultants while on video call to me getting this news. It all feels like the worst nightmare but no this is our reality and there's only two options 1. Have Op and hopefully get between 8 to 10 months, radio/chemo if well enough. 2. No Op and hopefully get a few weeks. Again Haggis "let's do it" anything to get more time with his loved ones. Operation goes well as can be , with a few changes to what was said and a few difficult days in ICU, they let him move back to the ward on the 21st, his fighting spirit still high even though, he knew the road ahead was going to be tough, that didn't stop him making some plans for when he was better, including secretly making weddings arrangements with his sister but, sadly in the early hours of 24th of October Haggis suffered a massive bleed which lead to cardiac arrest. One week, One week is all Haggis got , no goodbyes for any of us. No last words. No last cuddles . No last kisses. He's Gone.

This disease is ruthless

One person every 3 hours is lost to mouth cancer.

Mouth Cancer cause more deaths in the UK each year than road traffic accidents.

I am forever thankful and greatful for The team at Ninewells if Haggis was fighting they were fighting with him.

The Mouth Cancer Foundation is a charity dedicated to helping and supporting those suffering from or at risk of mouth cancer, throat cancer and other head and neck cancers, as well as providing assistance and information on living with mouth cancer for families, friends and carers.

Help raise awareness by fundraising or join in the charity's annual fundraiser, the Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk. You can also support the charity's self examination campaign or order a copy of the Easy to Swallow Cookbook.