Michelle, I was negative for HPV and I never smoked. I was a light social drinker, but that was it. I sometimes feel guilty that I must have done something to bring on this horrible disease. I guess my feelings about MD are that at least he is getting people to talk about it and that's not so bad. I understand your feelings, but does it really matter how you got it? Years ago, in my grandmother's generation, any cancer was considered something to hide under the rug, and obviously that has changed. I also remember some of the comments Betty Ford got when she had breast cancer. Before that, nobody really talked about breast cancer publicly. I saw my ENT this week and he reiterated what OCF has been saying for a long time. HPV is the fastest growing cause of oral cancer, particularly in younger people.