NW Head & Neck

H&NCa rates rising..

A timely reminder …. Take it From those who have gone through the experience ☹️

Because we don’t look like typical #HeadAndNeckCancer patients. #WorldHeadAndNeckCancerDay #YoungTongues

would you like a specific head and neck helpline well here's your chance donate to help make it a reality ...

Today we launch our Giving Circle to raise funds for Australia's first Head and Neck Cancer Helpline!

Since launched in 2016 the common theme in all our conversations is that people living with require ongoing expert support from the time of diagnosis to managing the long-term side effects and complications of treatment, particularly once the acute phase of treatment ends.

In response to feedback from patients, carers and healthcare professionals, and the growing demand from people contacting HANCA for support, our goal is to raise enough funds to pilot Australia’s First Head and Neck Cancer Helpline.

The Head and Neck Cancer Helpline will give Head and Neck Cancer patients, their family and the people who care for them, access to a Head and Neck Cancer Specialist Navigator with expertise in providing information, practical and emotional support and connections to peer support to alleviate feelings of isolation, anxiety, depression and social isolation.

No one should face Head and Neck Cancer alone and with your gift they won’t have to.

Click here to donate: https://bit.ly/47fQbnZ

To find out more about the Helpline click here: https://bit.ly/3SCGCeo

Thank you!

Radiation Therapy is a key treatment in curing head and neck cancer It’s important to share images of radiation therapy machines or LINACs so everyone understands what they look like if you or your family ever need one. Thanks Disney.

Excellent webinar last week on importance of and continuing for as long as possible to exercise.

Thank you to our guest speakers, including former patients Anna Bofinger from the Sunshine Coast in QLD and Paul Mowbray from Wagga Wagga in NSW for sharing their practical tips on exercising before, during and after Head and Neck Cancer at last week's webinar.

Great advice from Anna, who is also a practising physiotherapist, encouraging people to understand why exercise is important, to have an 'exercise partner' for motivation and accountability and to keep an exercise diary.

Meanwhile Paul, who lived away from home in Sydney for three months during treatment, encouraged people to listen to their cancer team and take their advice about exercise. Paul also talked about the importance of pacing yourself, resting as required and stressed that over time you will get better and stronger.

Thank you to the Jaye Radisich Foundation for your generous support of our HNC Webinar Program.

To watch the webinar recording visit: https://buff.ly/46HuJYU

This week is Dental Health Week (DHW), the Australian Dental Association's major annual oral health campaign. This year, DHW is focusing on the mouth and whole-body connection. There are links between diseases in the mouth and diseases in the body such as diabetes and heart disease. For #HeadandNeckCancer awareness it's about knowing your mouth. Do you have a mouth ulcer, sore tooth or gums? Make sure you know the signs and get them checked by your dentist or GP if they stay around for three weeks or more. https://www.headandneckcancer.org.au/what-is-head-neck-cancer/signs-and-symptoms/ #ADA #DHW #DentalHealth #HNC

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We meet some very special people working for HANCA. Earlier this year we had the pleasure of meeting Jo Coombes when we presented at the Brisbane support group run by HANCA Ambassador, Marty Doyle Head and Neck Cancer Support Australia. Now 57, Jo was a 37 year old mum of two living in Queanbeyan NSW working at Coles when her partner noticed two tiny spots on her upper lip. This was the start of a 20 year journey with recurrent basal cell carcinoma (BCC) for Jo and her family leaving her with devastating facial disfigurements.

“Cancer hasn’t killed me, but it’s killed a lot of me. I mourn the person I used to be. I miss me. I’d love to put on some makeup and go out, but I’ve lost all of that.”

“I’m sharing my story because I want people to know that if you have a BCC you should get it checked. Not every person’s skin cancer is going to be the same. Some will be aggressive; some will be infiltrating. It’s worth getting it removed and having a small scar.”

“And it’s not always lifestyle and sun exposure that causes it, it may be in your genes like me.”

“I also want to see more funding support for people with Head and Neck Cancer.”

“I was not offered any psychological help to get through the adjustment of living with a major facial deformity. They ask you what your major concerns are for surgery. I said, ‘Being able to see, being able to put my glasses on my face.’ None of that was addressed.”

During July Jo has gone above and beyond to support people with Head and Neck Cancer sharing her story, approaching both her Federal and State MPs to raise awareness, organising a S4TS event at her local café Arizona, cooking up a storm making homemade lemon butter and tomato relish for a raffle at a second S4TS event to be held at her local Lions Club on 27 July with a percentage of all sales donated to .

Thank you, Jo! You are an inspiration. Wishing you all the very best and we can’t wait to see your new prosthetic nose when it’s finished in September!

Read Jo's story here: https://www.headandneckcancer.org.au/news/jo-coombes/

Jo Coombes

Persistent sore throat, ear ache, lumps on neck? Get examined. It’s quick & painless. ENT doctor puts thin, flexible tube with miniature camera on tip into nose to examine throat structures, including vocal cords. Local anaesthetic. Saved my life. GP could not see my tumour by looking through my mouth. It was too far down. This is why we need a referral to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. Delays in diagnosis are common. Persist in asking for a referral. https://lnkd.in/g8BWucCK

Have a listen about HPV and

Today is International HPV Awareness Day.

HANCA CEO Nadia Rosin sat down recently with Sydney Community Radio Station 2SER’s Eleanor Godley to discuss this incredibly common virus that is the cause of 70% of tonsil and base-of-tongue cancers.

Listen here: https://2ser.com/hpv-virus-linked-to-head-and-neck-cancer/

The image we used here is from our new animation What to Expect Next (When Newly Diagnosed with Head and Neck Cancer), which launches on Tuesday.

today is World Pulse day here is a great recipe from Head and Neck Cancer Australia ambassador and 5 year survivor Yvonne McClaren.. its tasty served with tzatziki dressing ...

Feed tubes arecommon for those undergoing radiation for

The Burnie City Council offices are lit in purple for Feeding Tube Awareness Week this week, 5-11 February 2023 💜

Feeding Tube Awareness Week is marked nationally, 5-11 February 2023. In celebration, we are lighting up landmarks purple and blue for tube feeding! We are lighting up as many landmarks as we can to help raise awareness and bring everyone together who has a feeding tube.

https://feedingtubeaware.com.au/raiseawareness/lightuplandmarks/

Why purple and blue?

Purple is a common colour of feeding tube supplies and blue represents what flows through the tube, be it formula, blends or water.

During this week, think about doing research, having conversations and building your understanding of the challenges faced and the day-to-day impact of tube feeding on individuals, carers and families.

tennis legend Martina Navratilova has two types of cancer, breast and throat, the latter caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). read on...

Martina Navratilova's HPV Turned into Cancer. How Does This Happen? HPV is the most common STI. While most people clear the infection easily, it turns into cancer in others.

Useful tips on managing that thick saliva, after radiation.
Reactions differ for everyone, if something doesn’t work initially, try a product more than once.

🅲🅾🅼🅼🆄🅽🅸🆃🆈 🆀🆄🅴🆂🆃🅸🅾🅽🆂 ⠀⠀⠀ Every week we share real life questions and discussions from within our groups anonymously to help the wider community. Sharing your experiences is the best way to support your community. Did you experience thick saliva after #radiation? ⠀⠀⠀ #TongueCancer #OralCancer #OralCancerAwareness #HeadAndNeckCancerDay #CancerAwareness #Mouthcancer #OralHealth #SquamousCell #CommunityQuestions

🎄 Merry Christmas 🎄 I wish the entire Young Tongues community a very Merry Christmas. For those going through treatment right now, my thoughts are with you and I hope you can find little sparkles of joy during this incredibly tough time. For those healing and experiencing Christmas for the first time post treatment, I hope you are having a wonderfully relaxing time with your loved ones - even if the food still doesn't taste the way it should, remember you've already achieved so much and things will continue to improve. For those of us who have a good few years under their belt or for those where treatment has become part of life, I hope you are filled with inner peace, happiness and strength for those days that test your patience. Lots of Love Barbara #TongueCancer #MouthCancer #OralCancer #HeadAndNeckCancer #MerryChristmas

some useful pointers here.. check it out

“I tend to avoid social events as explaining my requirements is just too difficult and embarrassing. BUT, I am now determined to just do it (with an “elevator pitch”) to raise awareness of Head and Neck Cancer… I have never thought of it in this way! Thank you.” Webinar viewer feedback.

Our final webinar of the year, with the wonderful Joanne Hiatt and Yvonne McClaren, Eating socially after Head and Neck Cancer, is now available to view here: https://bit.ly/3BEt9cQ

Our webinar series is proudly supported by Western & Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service

join Yvonne on 12/12/22 it will be worth your while

Yvonne Grace McClaren on Instagram: "Do you want to know how to eat socially after head and neck cancer? Come join us at this free webinar on Dec 12 at 12pm Aussie time. Head & Neck Cancer Australia are hosting this 60 minute webinar and we are... Yvonne Grace McClaren shared a post on Instagram: "Do you want to know how to eat socially after head and neck cancer? Come join us at this free webinar on Dec 12 at 12pm Aussie time. Head & Neck Cancer Australia are hosting this 60 minute webinar and we are going to talk about what I have learnt, w...

Undergoing chemo for cancer.. YoungTongues answers some questions for you..

Top tips from YoungTongues gaining weight tips after your treatment

🅲🅾🅼🅼🆄🅽🅸🆃🆈 🆀🆄🅴🆂🆃🅸🅾🅽🆂 ⠀⠀⠀ Every week we share real life questions and discussions from within our groups anonymously to help the wider community. Sharing your experiences is the best way to support your community. How did you gain weight after treatment? ⠀⠀⠀ #TongueCancer #OralCancer #OralCancerAwareness #HeadAndNeckCancerDay #CancerAwareness #Mouthcancer #OralHealth #SquamousCell #CommunityQuestions #WeightGain

Chemotherapy regimes alongside radiation therapy (RT) can differ depending on the situation, here are some common regimes in head and neck cancer ; thanks YoungTongues

📝ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ ꜰᴀᴄᴛꜱʜᴇᴇᴛ - Types of Chemotherapy Did you know that there are many different types of #chemotherapy? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #TongueCancer #OralCancer #OralCancerAwareness #CancerAwareness #Mouthcancer #OralHealth #SquamousCell #SquamousCellCarcinoma

Heading into chemo .. here’s some very wise words from patient experiences..this is agreat IG site to follow by the way young people who have gone through

⚡ Experience Exchange ⚡⠀⠀ We asked our Young Tongues community how they prepared for #chemotherapy ⠀⠀ #TongueCancer #OralCancer #OralCancerAwareness #HeadAndNeckCancer #CancerAwareness #Mouthcancer #OralHealth #SquamousCell #SquamousCellCarcinoma

Carers… important people in Give a thought to carers… its tough at times for them also

Caring for a loved one who has or had a throat cancer can be one of the most demanding things a person does. We often hear stories from carers of stress, frustration, pain, fear, or emotional turmoil. Wishing they could take the cancer away, their loved one is going through. A whole range of emotions are often experienced. A carer is an important role in looking after a loved one with the disease, but often the support is given to the individual. To some degree this is right, but on another level, it is as important that the carer is looked after also. This is why we want to hear from you, if you are a carer of someone who has throat cancer, had throat cancer or even sadly, lost their lives to cancer. We want to give you the chance to share your story. It may help you; it may help others trying to cope. You may have stories that make you laugh, or that make you cry, either way, please feel free to be honest about what you are feeling. You’ll get a feeling that you are not alone, but out there, there are other. If you would like to share you story, email us at [email protected] and we will share it for to get some support and recognition from others. #ThroatCancer #BeThroatCancerAware #HeadAndNeckCancer #WhoCaresForTheCarers #WhoCares

Its important to look after the support people to those going through

Being a caregiver can be hard, both physically and emotionally. It’s normal to feel satisfied some days and frustrated, angry or resentful on others.

You should never have to go through Head and Neck Cancer alone.

Some tips on how to look after yourself and find support can be found on our website here: https://www.headandneckcancer.org.au/caregivers-family-friends/looking-after-yourself

Hear from a survivor…& thoughts with ‘The Voice’ John Farnham who is undergoing this long hard road❤️‍🩹

The Today Show on Twitter “John Farnham is in a stable condition after marathon surgery earlier this week. How is mouth cancer identified, how serious is it, and what is the road to recovery? ”

Enjoying food is something we take for granted. For many going through it can be long lasting side effect of treatment. This from NZ is a great article on theissue and good tips too!

Taste loss - Head & Neck Cancer Support Aotearoa Some facts about loss of taste after (chemo)radiationThis is a taste bud on the tongue. The little hairs (microvilli) are receptors and the nerve takes the taste to the brain.Its formal name is dysgeusia. 90% of patients experience taste loss after a couple of weeks, and while taste function typical...

A great story in The Conversation sharing the legacy of as a advocate and the ability to live well with cancer https://theconversation.com/olivia-newton-john-gave-a-voice-to-those-with-cancer-and-shifted-the-focus-to-the-life-of-survivors-188444

Olivia Newton-John gave a voice to those with cancer and shifted the focus to the life of survivors Olivia Newton-John made a significant contribution to cancer care, cancer survivorship and the ideal of treating the whole person, not just their disease.

RIP a woman who has left a lasting legacy in the Olivia Newton John cancer centre Melbourne