Hi. You have been through so much. I hope the next surgery does not affect your speech. Your job as a children's librarian sounds great.

Your case resonates with me to some extent because I have been told that I've suffered a field change in my mouth which means the whole area is vulnerable to cancer. There was dysplasia near the edge of the last surgical excision. Last year, during my third surgery (but first recurrence) I had nearly half my oral tongue replaced by a free flap. My speech is about 85% normal but I've been putting off aggressively seeking teaching work. I think I will be ready soon. It's sounds strange but I was greatly reassured when I found that such reconstructive surgery is possible. The tongue can be replaced and the new tongue works amazingly well.

You sound strong and clever and wise but I can sooo understand why you feel demoralised now. I mean, we try so hard to be brave for our children but we need to nurture ourselves too before we pick up the pieces and move on again. I hope the doctor has an excellent plan of action for you on Friday. Good luck and tons of empathy.