Steph's Story

In this episode of the Young Tongues podcast, Jamie introduces a guest very dear to her heart, Steph, who played a vital role during her own tongue cancer diagnosis. Steph, a critical care nurse, details her journey from discovering a lump under her chin to being diagnosed with stage three squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue. She recounts the initial misdiagnoses, the eventual diagnosis process, her 12-hour surgery, and the emotional and physical struggles during recovery. Steph also shares her grueling experience with radiation treatment, the lasting physical effects, and the emotional toll of her journey. She emphasizes the importance of finding a supportive community of fellow cancer survivors and shares how her life and career have changed post-cancer. The episode concludes with Steph providing advice for newly diagnosed patients and a light-hearted discussion on fictional characters they identify with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.