So here we are three women who until March this year were complete strangers. We have a common bond and it's called HEAD & NECK CANCER. We are Cath, Kelly & Sharleen.

I'm Sharleen and in August 2015 my husband Alan was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer. He had a small lump on his neck just below his jawline and sometimes he choked on particular foods. These were his ONLY symptoms. The tumour was at the base of his tongue and he needed chemo-radiation to treat it and ultimately save his life! Onto a long roller coaster we stepped and Alan faced each of his treatments with strength and composure. As a nurse I switched onto autopilot and cared for him. However I quickly realised that I had no idea just how extensive, life changing and debilitating these cancers can be. The public NEED to know about these cancers, the signs & symptoms and the gruelling treatment of them.Increasingly men and women in their prime are being diagnosed with head and neck cancer. As we know alcohol ,smoking and being overweight can all cause cancers. Alan has never been a smoker and was a social drinker. His cancer was caused by HPV 16 (Human Papilloma Virus). There is a vaccine for this type of HPV which currently only girls receive at high school. We hope to change that and see boys vaccinated in the future.Alan is slowly recovering and he has scans every three months to ensure the cancer doesn't return. His second scan is this month and so far so good. Cath and I have started training now. During the trip we will cover some of the 27 watchtowers of the wall, climb over old brick-made steps, trek through remote villages and farms, and pass 20 battlements to the ‘Heavenly Ladder’ – a near vertical staircase that climbs to the top of the mountain! Kel will keep you all up to date on here with pictures and video clips of our progress.The funds we raise will help us with our aims. 

1. Refurbishing a room in Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Patients use this room after diagnosis and throughout their clinic appointments.
2. Campaign for HPV vaccination for boys on the NHS.                           3. Boost the HEAD & NECK BENEFIT FUND and help those patients most in need. May include short breaks, help with clothing etc. I have watched the man I love tackle this cancer head on and its not pleasant . Please help us wipe it out in Scotland.Thanks for reading x

Sharleen@headsupawareness.co.uk  

The Johnstons v Head & Neck Cancer (Facebook)

Hello there my name is Cath Clark,I’m an Aussie bird who has lived in Scotland for 45 years now. I have always been a slightly wacky, glam, fun loving person who believes in living life to the full and meeting challenges head on (no pun intended!). Having spent 35 years working with British Airways and worked alongside the most amazing crew. I had always taken great pride in my appearance and loved my job tremendously. I loved the freedom and confidence which being a Cabin Services Director afforded me. In December 2009, I was diagnosed with cancer in my sinus and tear duct. I am writing to you to tell you about my experience with Head and Neck cancer and why I have undertaken the challenge to trek the Great Wall of China. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.  After the initial diagnosis, I went into Rosshall Hospital in Glasgow thinking this would only be for a little operation to unblock my tear duct. However, after the operation I was told by Mr Ewan Kemp, my Ophthalmologist, that the tumour was cancerous. As a ‘grade four’cancer, this meant I would have to have my left eye and cheek removed to stop the cancer spreading. I felt I could not allow such an operation to happen to me. I know my capabilities and this was too much for me. I would not have been able to cope with the trauma and feel I would have ended up suffering a mental breakdown. I felt this would destroy my husband and sons lives which I could not allow to happen. I decided to let the cancer do its own thing. This did not go down well with the very professional Mr Kemp, which I fully understood. He wanted to save my life. Mr Kemp referred me to Dr Ritchie, an esteemed oncologist from the Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow. Dr Ritchie explained that she could not give me Radiotherapy until my tumour had been removed. She was aware of my earlier decision and told me about Prof Gerald McGarry, an ENT specialist in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, who had pioneered operations on other patients. I was up for that so an appointment was made for me to see Professor McGarry, affectionately known as Indiana Jones!My husband Bobby and I met this incredible man. Prof McGarry explained the procedure which he would pioneer and perform on me. My operation was arranged and was successful. Prof McGarry cut under the left side of my eye to corner of my left tear duct and then down the left side of my nose, he then reconstructed under my eye and the bridge of my nose with composite material. This was the beginning of my real journey. I understood in advance the severity and associated side effects of my operation but, in truth, I was not prepared for the aftermath of the op and the difficult road ahead. Physically and emotionally, this was the most painful time of my life. I walked the floor every night in severe pain. The pressure in my head was unbearable and at times I felt my head could have burst. My nose and face were packed with swabs to support the composite, allowing it enough time to fully bond. I was unable to smell or taste anything for 8 months. Due to the Radiotherapy I lost my hair in three places which gave me big bald patch’s at the back of my head. I had my hair cut short and used lots and lots of hairspray to try and hide the bald patches! Despite suffering more than I had ever expected, I wanted to stay strong and positive for my family. I knew I had to beat the cancer. I had to survive. Prof McGarry and his team along with Mr Kemp monitored my physical progress very closely. When I was well enough, I was fitted for my Radiotherapy mask, something I had never even heard of before. I felt totally unprepared and I was terrified. My tumour was very close to my Pituitary gland so the precision and accuracy of the beam was utterly crucial. This meant that for 5 days a week, for 7 weeks, I had to go to the Beatson, put the mask over my face, have it stapled to the table (to ensure I remained still), be left in the room alone, keep my eye pointed away from the beam (to avoid cataracts) and persevere through the treatment. The mask, which had been moulded to fit my face exactly, was very claustrophobic. The mask felt suffocating and disorientating and on one occasion I suffered a panic attack. In hindsight, it was a necessary evil but being strapped down, unable to see, frightened and alone was a truly horrific experience; but it saved my life.  After my Radiotherapy came another blow. In my post-op check, a full body scan revealed a lump on my fallopian tubes. I had to undergo another surgery to remove my tubes. After all of this, at a point where I felt totally exhausted and beaten down, I started my skin grafting treatments on my face. By this point I had completely lost my confidence. I had horrendously low self esteem and questioned every decision I had to make, no matter how trivial. My physical journey was well underway but my emotional scars were as raw as my surgical wounds. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. I didn’t go out. I felt alone, like no one would understand. I felt broken. I felt I had let my husband down. I felt disfigured. My darkest thoughts still haunt me to this day. Even now, writing this page to help other patients, I find reliving this time in my life unbearably hard. It is a difficulty words cannot express. In this time of fear, loneliness and heartbreak I discovered there was no head and neck cancer support group in Scotland; no one for me to turn to, no one who could understand and no one who could show me that there would be life after this cancer. Unlike with most cancers, the effects and scars of head and neck cancer cannot be covered by your clothes or by your make up. They are visible for everyone to see, to stare at and to judge. My cancer was emotionally debilitating and physically scarred me, but the real heroes are those who have been far more affected than I; people who have lost an eye, have Laryngectomies, have lost the ability to speak, have lost extensive parts of their face and worse still, those who have lost their lives. We will walk for all of them.  I am one of the lucky ones, I survived. Throughout all of this time I was incredibly well looked after by the various clinical teams I encountered. Physically I was improving. I realised that what I was going through was NOT unique - there were other patients suffering too, who were they talking to? I wanted something positive to come from my nightmare, so I spoke with Prof McGarry, my ENT specialist nurses, Amahl Mathie, (my fairy godmother!) and the lovely Lesley Sabey, and persuaded them to help start a Head and Neck Cancer Support Group in Scotland. I was introduced to another patient, Nelson McFarlane, and together we founded the Heads Up Support Group for patients and carers. Now in its third year, Nelson, myself, and some wonderful friends (Kel, Lynne, and Eiric) have pulled back from the support side of the group to allow us to focus on raising awareness. Whilst Heads Up continues to flourish and look after our patients offering much needed support, Heads Up Awareness, has been afforded the time to push forward in our endeavours to promote understanding and education of the public on the necessity of regularly checking yourself, ensuring early diagnosis for the best possible outcome. I do hope the message from my experience of having cancer is : if you see or feel something on your head,neck, mouth, face or body that is not the norm please make time to see your doctor and get it checked.Having come through my journey, challenging and heartbreaking as it has been, I am here. I am alive. I saw my son get married. I got to meet my beautiful grandson. Now it is time for me to start another journey…one which includes hiking boots, walking poles and various other items like sleeping bags, biodegradable toilet paper and blister packs that are completely alien to this city girl! Prof McGarry gave me a second chance and saved my life. Now I’m stepping completely out of my comfort zone (and my stilettos!), to tackle the Great Wall of China Trekking Challenge to help RAISE AWARENESS and vital FUNDS for Head and Neck Cancer Patients in Scotland. You can read more about our mission on our other pages but in short, we need your help, we need your money and together we need to stamp out this cancer! Come on guys get behind us, lets make a difference and make it happen. Thank you, Love Cath. 

My name is Kelly. I want to tell you about my mums broken toe and how it would ultimately save her life!In October 2003 mum attended our family GP with a broken toe. During her consultation our GP seemed more concerned about the hoarseness in her throat. She had been hoarse for a couple of weeks but put it down to the start of a cold, although she did not have any other symptoms. Our GP made a referral to an ENT consultant to which mum reluctantly agreed as she didn't think it was worth bothering anyone about. During the next couple of weeks she developed a slight sore throat and every now and again when she drank any sort of fluid it would come down her nose.She attended ENT in November and her consultant wanted a biopsy done which was scheduled for January 2004 Christmas 2003 was non existent for us as mum had started to become very tired in the previous weeks. She had also developed a cough. Not your normal cough you would get with a cold, but it sounded like she was trying to dislodge something. Mum felt as if something was stuck in her throat.10 days after her biopsy we were back at ENT and the consultant told us the devastating news. Mum had throat Cancer. She was 60 years young. In the ensuing months and year ahead which I can only describe as the most surreal and frightening time in our lives, hospitals became our second home. Many tests, scans, scopes and more biopsies followed to find out if the cancer had spread and to work out a treatment plan. Mum was admitted to hospital on 21st April 2004 for a bilateral neck dissection to remove the nodes from her neck. During this operation they extracted mums teeth.No one had really explained to us what the surgery entailed so it was quite traumatic when we saw mum after her surgery. She had staples running from behind her ear, down her neck to just above her collarbone. One side of her face was very swollen and bruised and she looked in so much pain. This was just the start of her treatment. I had no Idea how she would cope through the rest.Her treatment  included chemoradiotherapy which is chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment running along side each other.Mum attended The Beatson in May 2004 to have her mould for her mask fitted and she started a gruelling regime of daily radiotherapy and weekly chemotherapy which would last until 19 July.After her last treatment we were all so relieved and thought that this was now the road to recovery.This was not the case.Radiotherapy has terrible side effects, but for head and neck cancer it has devastating side effects. Mum could no longer take any food or drink orally as she could not swallow. Her salivary glands had been damaged and she could no longer produce saliva. This resulted in a constant dry mouth and many mouth infections in the beginning. She lost her sense of taste and smell. A nasogastric tube was inserted to give her much needed calories as her weight had dropped so much during treatment . My sister and I were shown how to work the machine and mum was discharged from hospital.This was the start of a very scary, lonely time for us as a family. I now found myself caring full time for mum.  At the start of mums treatment she was assigned a head and neck nurse specialist Amahl Mathie. Amahl became a huge source of strength for us, not just for mum as her patient, but as a family. Amahl will always have a special place in our hearts.Fast forward now to 2009 and mum received the all clear from her consultant. In 2010 Mum held her first great grandchild, 2012 mum appeared at The city halls in a play written by the writing/drama group she joined, and in 2013 she celebrated her 70th birthday.None of this would have been possible had it not been for Mr Brian Irvine her consultant and an incredible team of head and neck nurse specialists, dieticians, speech therapists and most importantly our family GP who picked up on mums early symptoms.Sadly in 2014 mum passed away at the age of 72 due to an unrelated illness. My world fell apart She was one of the most courageous, inspirational woman in my life.I was at a complete loss. Mum had been such a big part of my life, more so for the last 11 years. Amahl suggested that I pop along to a support group for H and N cancer patients, families and carers that had recently been set up by a group of former patients. She thought that through time I may be able to help other patients and carers.It was here I met an inspirational lady, Cath Clark. She took me under her wing and supported me through my darkest days. I met some amazing people, Eiric and Lynne to name a few. We were all patients, carers and family members of head and neck cancer who met on our individual quests to seek information, help and support of this relatively uncommon type of cancer.A few of the group were keen on raising awareness and spoke about doing a walk. Cath and I got together to with some of the group to arrange this. We wanted to walk with our family's and friends, therefore thought 20 people would be a good estimate.The support we received while organising our walk was overwhelming.The result was a 6k walk from the Falkirk wheel to the 30-metre high horse-head sculptures that are The Kelpies. Over 100 people joined us on the day. These included families we had never met before, Head and Neck nurse specialists and a Professor of ENT and Head and Neck Surgeon. 120 people walking together, with one thing in common and with one goal. To raise much needed awareness of Head and Neck Cancer in Scotland.Now a year on Amahl introduced us to SharleenCath and Sharleen are about to embark on another walk/trek. This time it's a 9 day trek of The Great wall of ChinaHead and neck cancers are relatively unknown cancers, but if caught early are mostly curable. My mum was a Head and Neck cancer survivor and I hope that sharing her story will help raise awareness of the importance of seeing your GP if you have symptoms for 3 weeks or more. 

Heads Up cancer Support Group meet every Thursday between 10.00-12.00 within Cancer Support Scotland. CANCER SUPPORT SCOTLAND ARE SUPPORTING HEADS UP AWARENESS.

Thank you for reading, giving and sharing.

Love Cath, Kelly & Sharleen