Brave Cancer Survivor Shares Her Story to Inspire Others for Mouth Cancer Action Month
A woman who has fought several types of cancer over the last two decades has shared her story in a bid to raise awareness of mouth cancer and encourage people to have screening tests this November.
Jacky Merrison, 72, spoke at the launch of Mouth Cancer Action Month, a campaign run by the British Dental Health Foundation, to try and make people more aware of the deadly disease and encourage people to visit their dentist for a screening test this month.
Jacky was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and has since been told she has cancer on no fewer than eight occasions. She was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins’ Lymphoma, which returned five times and then told she had mouth cancer in 2011 following a dental check-up.
Jacky said that although she had been told she had cancer numerous times, every time was as distressing as the first. When she was told that she had mouth cancer, a form of cancer she wasn’t particularly aware of, she was shocked and frightened. She had visited her dentist for a routine check-up and they had noticed something that looked suspicious. Given Jacky’s history, she was sent for further tests and a diagnosis was confirmed shortly afterwards.
Jacky has now been given the all-clear and is devoting time to raising awareness of cancer and working with cancer charities. She hopes her story will encourage anyone who notices changes in their mouths and those who haven’t seen a dentist for a long time to arrange a screening test this November. Early diagnosis can increase the chances of survival significantly.
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