I did not need chemotherapy but I did have about 1/3 of my tongue taken out as well as a portion of the floor of my mouth. They thought I would need chemo and radiation and turns out the margins were clear. The neck dissection showed no node involvement. You can tell your sister it was no where near as bad as I thought it would be. (I had 1/3 removed, not 1/2). I totally relate to the not even wanting to think about it! Tongue removed?? Oh my gosh, I couldn't believe it was happening to me. But it did and I had to deal with it. Thank God I did, and now a year later I am still going for monthly checks but it beats the heck out of the alternative! I hope you can convince her to see an ENT before things get out of hand! Good luck to you and your family. Denise