Petey i have been aware of cancer as a disease to fear for just about all of my life,but the point i am going to make is this.Every time you open a newspaper you read and hear of all the work being done into cancer research.
Everyone is aware of breast cancer,lung cancer,prostate cancer,testicular cancer,kidney cancer,leukeamia,non hodgkins disease, all terrible afflictions we agree,but if you look at people with these cancers what can you see?

Mouth cancer is a scourge.It strips people of their voice,their ability to eat and drink, their visual image and all too often their life.

Its a visible cancer and yet the public in general dont see it.

Sufferers hide away while the worst of the facial trauma manifests itself and the healing process takes so long that even after surgery and radiotherapy,speech and eating side effects make patients reluctant to join mainstream socialising again and the terrible effects of the disease may only be seen by close family and friends.

I know that not one of the 350 people who attended Robins funeral will ever ignore symptoms in their mouth or throat,for as as many people who saw his face ,were told about it in graphic detail,resulting in many many of his close friends feeling quite unable to visit him out of fear of the unknown.

Oral cancer forums give people who suffer from this terrible illness a safe refuge where they can all interact with each other without fear or favor because everyone is in the same boat,my original post observing that the boat is getting very full.

If i had the courage i would hire a bill board and post a picture of Robin in the week before his death,with the headlines
CAN WE AFFORD TO KEEP ON IGNORING THIS CANCER because that is what is happening,its the unspeakable face of cancer,one that not many people are aware of and yet one of the most devastating in my opinion.