UK dad Stuart Kingston was diagnosed with tongue cancer after his wife noticed an “uneven” face.

A father was diagnosed with tongue cancer after his wife noticed his face looked “uneven”.

Stuart Kingston, 67, was struggling to swallow and hadn’t eaten but thought nothing of the strange symptoms as he didn’t want to worry his wife Carol.

She then realized “how uneven his face looked” and pushed him to see the doctors – where he was later diagnosed with tongue cancer.

“During the pandemic, you naturally kept your distance from each other,” Carol said. “So it wasn’t until later in the year when we went on a caravan trip and we were in close proximity to each other, sitting face to face, that I saw how uneven Stuart’s face looked.”

Following his diagnosis in October 2020, Stuart began five weeks of daily radiotherapy and then chemotherapy at Clatterbridge Cancer Center in Liverpool.

The retired teacher even participated in a clinical trial in order to “help someone going through the same thing in the future.”

“The night before my treatment started, Carol and I went to see the Blackpool Illuminations,” said Stuart.

“We promised each other that we would come back when my treatment was over. Although it was another string in my bow in terms of fighting cancer, my main reason for participating was to give something back. If cancer research and the knowledge gained from my participation can help someone going through the same thing in the future, then sign me up.”

After treatment, Stuart had to relearn how to swallow and use his tongue differently.

“When you’re treating every day, you know what to expect, you’re in a routine,” added Stuart. “There are people around you to help you and if you have a concern, there’s always someone there to address it. But when I went home and the worries continued, I really started to struggle. That’s why I’m eternally grateful for the speech and language therapy team at Clatterbridge. I couldn’t have made the progress I did without them.”

Stuart gave the all clear in March 2022 and wants to encourage others to see their GP sooner than him if they have any concerns.

“Don’t think you’re invincible like me,” Stuart said. “Talk to a professional if you’re experiencing any symptoms and put yourself in expert hands. No matter how independent or tough you think you are, you can’t cure this on your own. Accept the help of people who are highly skilled and qualified. Have faith and trust in their abilities and go into everything with a positive attitude taking it day by day.”

Dr. Heulwen Sheldrick, a speech and language therapist at Clatterbridge Cancer Center helped Stuart learn how to swallow again.

“Stuart had a feeding tube in place at the beginning of his treatment and our main focus was adjusting what/how to eat and drink in order to safely remove the tube,” said Dr. Sheldrick. “It can be quite scary to do that, to learn how to swallow and use your tongue in a different way.”

“As a retired teacher, Stuart was really concerned about losing his ability to speak,” added Dr. Sheldrick. “But between the support of the team, Carol’s encouragement and Stuart’s hard work through speech and language therapy, he is now communicating in the clearest and most effective way possible.”