Hi Stephanie,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you and find it horrifying that someone so young should have to go through all of this! Your attitude is remarkable and I hope that you are able to remain positive right through your treatments.

I am currently in treatment and have 7 rads and 1 chemo to go. I finish on the 25th July - 5 days before you! That day can't come quick enough! Hopefully you will have a quick recovery and can get rid of that PEG in record time.

I'm more than double your age (50) but am still considered relatively young to have this disease. I also did not have any of the usual risk factors (never smoked, drank little alcohol, good oral hygeine, no family history etc) I also do not have HPV (apparently very few, if any HPV+ cancers start on the tongue). My friends and family think that 25 years of drinking Diet Coke (almost addictively) may be to blame, but my Drs don't seem to think there's any link and I have found nothing on the internet that suggests any connection. I really have to put it down to bad luck - I may never know or have an answer to the 'why me' question. Beating this thing is what's important now anyway!

Good luck with your next two weeks of treatment I hope that you will get through it and will come out the other side and have a quick and full recovery!

Best Wishes
Sue