Olivia Donnelly recently got engaged and moved house with her fiancé, but her life came to a complete halt after being given a devastating diagnosisWoman, 25, told mouth ulcers were ‘weak immune system’ gets sinister diagnosis
A young woman who had recurring mouth ulcers for two years, and was told she had a weak immune system, was given a devastating diagnosis. Olivia Donnelly, 25, from Kent, suffered from mouth ulcers on and off for the last two years, with the effects taking over her everyday life.
Some days she was unable to speak due to how sore her ulcers were, which proved especially difficult as she works in recruitment. Tests and biopsies taken by Maxillofacial in Ashford, came back clear, with specialists initially thinking Olivia had a weak immune system.
But earlier this year, Olivia noticed a lump on the side of her tongue, which she had never felt before, and immediately got back in contact with her specialist. After another biopsy was taken, Olivia was called back just two weeks into her four-to-six-week waiting period and was asked to visit the hospital the following day.
She said: “I knew they were going to tell me bad news, because why would you tell me to come to hospital the next day after two weeks? It was awful.
“I had obviously a really bad gut feeling they were going to tell me something bad and obviously walked into the room and saw my clinician, a surgeon and a nurse. Then I just knew I knew they were going to tell me something bad.”
Olivia and her fiancé, Jamie, at their engagement party
Olivia described how she was in a state of shock after being told by the doctors that she had tongue cancer, which is extremely rare in younger people. One of the first questions she asked her team after being told about her five-millimetre tumour, was: “Is this going to kill me?”
She said: “I didn’t really know how to react, but when you immediately hear you’ve got cancer you just think it’s game over. You don’t hear that many positive stories of people having cancer and I have really bad health anxiety.
“I was told they were either going to just cut a really small bit of my tongue or I was going to have to have a proper operation and reconstruction.”
After more scans, Olivia was told her condition was more serious, and she would have to have 40 percent of her tongue taken out and reconstructed from skin from her forearm. She will also have a number of inflamed lymph nodes removed.
The operation, which will take between 10 and 12 hours, will force the 25-year-old to learn to speak and eat again in what will be a gruelling recovery period.
She said: “It’s going to be quite an intense surgery, it’s going to be a 10 to 12 hour long surgery and I wasn’t mentally prepared to be told that. The total recovery time is six months, so my life’s going to be put on hold for pretty much six months and summer’s pretty much going to be written off for me.
WARNING: Image of Olivia’s tongue is below
A picture of Olivia’s tongue – which she is sharing to help others who fear they may have mouth cancer
“So I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that my life is going to be put on hold for some time. It’s very bittersweet time, moving into our first home. Hearing the words, you have cancer, is frightening and scary.”
After being diagnosed with cancer, Olivia recorded a video about her journey so far and posted it on her TikTok account @Olivia22x22. She has since received thousands of views and over 400 comments from well-wishers and people worried about their own health.
Olivia said: “I can’t even explain the amount of comments I’ve had from people saying that they’ve had what I’ve had and have recovered.
“It’s so reassuring and I’ve actually spoken to two ladies via TikTok who commented on my video and they have recovered and they’ve reassured me so much.
“I’ve also had quite a few people message me to ask for advice, I’m not a professional, but I have just kind of given my experience to people and spoken to them.
“Someone even messaged me saying thank you for sharing and said they were going to go and see a dentist because they’ve suffered. I wasn’t expecting to have the the amount of support from people I don’t even know, it’s quite overwhelming.”
Olivia is now encouraging anyone who is suffering from persistent mouth ulcers to get in touch with their GP or dentist immediately. She has also said she is happy to answer any questions people may have on social media.
She said: “If someone’s suffering with symptoms like I did with the reoccurring mouth ulcers, just to go and get it checked and do not ignore it because it can happen. It’s happened to me.
“I’m positive that I will get through it. And, you know, the surgeons have said to me that I’m going to be absolutely fine. And I think it will be something that will stick with me for the rest of my life mentally.”
What are the symptoms of mouth cancer?
According to the NHS, symptoms of mouth cancer can affect any part of your mouth including the gums, tongue, inside the cheeks, or lips.
Symptoms can include:
A mouth ulcer in your mouth that lasts more than three weeksA red or white patch inside your mouthA lump inside your mouth or on your lipPain inside your mouthDifficulty swallowingDifficulty speaking or a hoarse (croaky) voiceA lump in your neck or throatLosing weight without trying