I totally agree with Brett. Rather than driving yourself crazy asking why. Seek the best treatment you can. Statistics are with most oral cancer patients. I, like Heather, who was younger than me when detected, didn't do anything to bring this on. Non-smoker, once a month driiker, and no HPV, no family history either. We all have the risk for cancer by being alive, but it's just weather that switch is flipped for the cells to go haywire that determineds whether we get cancer or not. What we do in life can increase the risk that the switch will be thrown, but not the only factor. We do live in a fallen world and God is as sad as you are that you are sick.

For what it's worth
Lynn