Jeff’s story so far: finding support during cancer treatment
Jeff, a valued member of Big C’s team, was diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this year after noticing a lump on the left side of his throat. Although Jeff is still going through treatment, he wanted to share his story to encourage others to get checked, ask questions and accept support when they need it.
Over the years, Jeff has experienced a number of serious health scares, including a motorcycle crash, a burst appendix, anaphylactic shock and a stroke. Each time, he says he felt lucky to survive and grateful for the care he received.
But earlier this year, Jeff faced a different kind of challenge. In late January, he developed a severe tooth infection. Around the same time, a lump the size of a squashed egg appeared on the left side of his throat. As the tooth area began to heal, the lump almost disappeared, but around two weeks later it returned.
Jeff contacted his GP, despite having no other symptoms. Looking back, he is very glad he made that appointment. “Being honest, I only contacted my GP out of curiosity,” Jeff said.
“I had no other symptoms, but I am so glad I made that call. When the doctor said they were going to fetch a colleague for a second opinion, I started to realise it might be serious.”
From there, everything moved quickly. Jeff’s first blood test showed nothing, but after several scans and a biopsy, he was told he had cancer. A small growth, about the size of half a peanut, had been found at the very back of his tongue. It had caused a lymph node to become enlarged, which explained the lump in his throat.
Jeff still had no other symptoms – no weight loss, cough, sore throat or earache. This surprised the clinical team too. Thankfully, it appears the cancer was caught at a very early stage.
“If there is one message I would share, it is this: if you notice any strange lumps anywhere on your body, contact your GP,” Jeff said. “Please don’t worry that you are wasting anyone’s time. It may turn out to be nothing but making that appointment could save your life.”
Before treatment could begin, Jeff needed further tests and scans. Because his cancer is in the head and neck area, he also had dental X-rays. This led to nine teeth being removed, as even a small dental infection during treatment could become much more serious.
Jeff’s treatment plan is six weeks of radiotherapy, Monday to Friday, with 30 sessions in total. His clinical team talked him through the process and explained the possible side effects, including a sore or burnt throat, changes to his voice, loss of taste, hair loss in the treatment area and, in some cases, the need for a feeding tube.
“Was I scared? Absolutely,” Jeff said. “I am a pessimist by nature, so my thoughts were all over the place. I heard the risks loud and clear, but I almost missed the part where the team said they were confident the treatment could be successful.”
Like many people, Jeff searched online after his diagnosis and joined a social media group about head and throat cancer. However, he was quickly reminded by his wife, friends, colleagues, neighbours, dentist and NHS staff that online stories can be frightening and are not always relevant to an individual’s own situation.
“The best advice I can give is to listen to your clinical team and ask them the questions that are worrying you,” Jeff said.
Jeff started radiotherapy in June. Throughout the process, he says NHS staff have been brilliant and Big C has also been a huge support – from his work colleagues and managers to the team at the Big C NNUH support centre.
Jeff hopes his experience will encourage anyone who notices changes in their body to seek advice and not ignore possible symptoms.
“Cancer can be devious,” Jeff said. “I had no obvious symptoms apart from one lump, and getting it checked made all the difference.”
His treatment is still ongoing, so this is not the end of Jeff’s story. He hopes to share the next part of his journey once radiotherapy is complete. For now, his message is simple: get checked, ask questions and accept the support around you.
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