Designer Paula Rees has her dentist to thank after a routine appointment led to her being diagnosed with mouth cancer.
And she is urging others not to ignore signs and symptoms after what looked like a cold sore had in fact been a tumour growing in her lip.
For the Sully mum of two, her business took a backseat whilst she received treatment, as the effects of the operation, which included surgery from her lip to her chin.
She explained:
“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 Tower….I looked like something out of a horror film, Paula added.”
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.
Paula added:
“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 with the help of Tenovus Cancer Care, I was given the support that I needed, and they helped me to take back control of my life.”
But Paula is keen to stress that with help and support from the right people you can get your life back on track.
“Within a week of seeing my dentist I was in hospital having a biopsy of my lip. I was called back to the Heath the following week for my results.
“They sat me down in the chair 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,”
The 56-year-old explains: “It’s 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 it needed to be voiced and to make others aware about possible signs and symptoms of cancer so it can be caught early and treated early.”
Latest figures show that 10,825 people in the UK were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year. And that number has increased by more than 38 per cent compared with 20 years ago.
Over 78 per cent of cases occur in the over 55 age group.
Since Paula had her operation in November she felt looked after and heard by the hospital team. She 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.
“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.
