Barman, 26, was diagnosed with mouth cancer and had to have his tongue removed – the main symptom was frighteningly easy to ignore

Bartender Dan Durant didn’t think an ulcer on the right side of his tongue was anything to worry about.

The 26-year-old from Stafford got them often so didn’t think about the lump and treated it with Bonjella when he first saw it in August last year.

“It was a grey, whitish spot, the size of a one pence coin,” Mr Durant recalled. ‘After that I didn’t think about it anymore. It mostly felt like it wasn’t there.’

It wasn’t until he sneezed and accidentally bit it that the ulcer became inflamed and he went to the doctor.

Durant was eventually diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma – a form of cancer that can affect the skin and skin-like cells that cover the inside of the mouth.

During an 11-hour operation, doctors cut out two tumors, removed 50 percent of his tongue and reconstructed it with skin from his left forearm.

During an 11-hour operation, doctors cut out two tumors, removed 50 percent of his tongue and reconstructed it with skin from his left forearm.

They also dissected his neck to remove cancerous lymph nodes and he is currently awaiting biopsy results which will confirm whether he needs further treatment.

“The nurse said, ‘You were lucky you bit your tongue,’” Mr. Durant admitted.

He had also lost a lot of weight and often had a sore throat, but didn’t realize it was anything to worry about.

But after biting the sore and noticing it wasn’t healing, he decided went to his doctor who suspected it was cancer and referred him to the Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent.

His cancer diagnosis was confirmed a week later on August 21, 2024.

Mouth ulcers that don’t heal, a hoarse voice, and unexplained lumps in the mouth are all warning signs of the disease

Mr. Durant started noticing the ulcer again in April 2024 and it became inflamed months later in August when he accidentally bit it

Initially, doctors had hoped to remove only part of his tongue, but after finding a second tumor they were forced to remove half of it

He said: ‘I didn’t quite believe it could be cancer. It was disturbing to hear that it was so. I wanted to cry. It was so surreal.”

Data shows that oral cancer, also known as oral cancer, is the sixth most diagnosed cancer in the world. More than 8,000 people in Britain are diagnosed with the disease each year, while the number in the US is almost 55,000.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form of oral cancer, accounting for almost 90 percent of cases.

Doctors took skin from his forearm for his tongue and then skin from his abdomen to replace the skin from his arm

After the reconstructive surgery, Mr. Durant then spent eight days in the hospital to ensure there were no complications and so he could get used to eating and drinking with his new tongue.

Squamous cells are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, such as in the mouth and on the arms and legs.

Mouth ulcers – broken areas in the lining of the mouth – that do not heal within three weeks may be a sign of oral cancer. Swellings, lumps, red or white spots, as well as loose teeth, sore throat or difficulty swallowing are also telltale signs of the caner.

On September 12, 2024, Mr. Durant underwent the eleven and a half hour surgery to remove the tumor.

Initially, doctors had hoped to remove only part of his tongue, but after finding a second tumor they were forced to remove half of it.

A cancerous lymph node was also removed from his neck for a biopsy to confirm that the cancer had not spread.

“They took skin from my forearm for my tongue and then skin from my stomach to replace the skin from my arm,” he said. ‘They also used the arteries from my forearm and put them in my tongue so that blood could flow.’

In addition to raising awareness, Mr. Durant has set up a fundraiser to help fund his living expenses for the coming months and will donate the remaining money to cancer research.

After the reconstructive surgery, Mr. Durant then spent eight days in the hospital to ensure there were no complications and so he could get used to eating and drinking with his new tongue.

He is now on a soft food diet and awaiting the results of the biopsy of his lymph nodes.

‘Learning to swallow properly was quite difficult. I’m just getting used to the chewing,” he admitted. ‘My jaw hurts a lot. It’s a lot of relearning things,” he added.

‘If there are few or no cancer cells left, I will only receive one more round of radiotherapy.’

Mr. Durant was about to start a new job when he received his diagnosis and is now unable to work.

In addition to awareness, he also has a fundraising to help fund his living expenses for the coming months and donate the remaining money to cancer research.

He said his family and friends have been a “great support network.”

‘Everything is normal and then suddenly it isn’t anymore. It’s something that changes your life,” he said.