I’m Sharon Moreby and this is my story about how it took 18 years for me to finally get a diagnosis of HPV cancer on my tongue and why I want you to know the signs of mouth and throat cancer
For years, I lived with a white, cobweb-like patch on my tongue. It wasn’t dramatic. It didn’t send me rushing to A&E. It was just there — persistent, stubborn, and impossible to ignore once I’d noticed it.
I did what people are told to do. I got it checked.
Over an 18-year period, I had eight biopsies and laser treatment. Each time I was told the same thing: dysplasia. Abnormal cells, but not cancer. On paper, that sounds reassuring. In real life, it’s exhausting, because the problem never really goes away — and you’re left watching and waiting, hoping it doesn’t turn into something worse.
Then things changed.
One biopsy site didn’t heal properly. I started getting pain in my ear, jaw, and neck, and it kept getting worse. Then I found a large lump under my jawline. I knew, deep down, that something wasn’t right.
But I was told it was probably a blocked salivary gland. I was told the pain could be nerve damage from previous procedures. It felt as though my symptoms were being explained away, even though my body was clearly telling a different story.
I couldn’t let it go. I didn’t want to be dramatic — I just wanted someone to properly look.
So, I spoke to my dental hygienist. She listened. She took me seriously. I showed her photographs of the patch on my tongue, and she helped me get back to my oral specialist. Another biopsy was arranged.
That biopsy changed everything.
It came back as an aggressive HPV-related cancer.
On 11 October 2023, I went through a nine-and-a-half-hour operation. The entire left side of my tongue was removed. They reconstructed my tongue using tissue taken from my left arm, and they removed 44 cancerous lymph nodes.
After surgery, treatment continued: 24 hours of chemotherapy over two days, followed by 33 radiotherapy sessions.
I won’t pretend it was “just” a tough few months and then it was over. Treatment has lasting consequences. I’m still dealing with complications, including an exposed wire from a Doppler device at my surgical site, which recently needed further hospital treatment.
Here’s the part I want people to really understand: HPV-related cancers are real, and they are catching people off guard. Many people still think throat and oral cancers only happen to heavy smokers or drinkers. That belief can delay people getting checked, and it can delay professionals taking symptoms seriously. I am living proof that you can do “the right things”, still develop cancer, and still have to fight to be heard.
That is exactly why I’m backing the Throat Cancer Foundation. They are pushing the message that matters: know the signs, act early, and don’t let persistent symptoms be dismissed. They are raising awareness of HPV and HPV-related head and neck cancers, so people stop thinking “it won’t be me” and start taking changes in their mouth or throat seriously. They also support patients and families through diagnosis, treatment, and the aftermath — the bit nobody warns you about, when life doesn’t instantly go back to normal.
I’m proud to support that work because it doesn’t just “raise awareness” in the abstract — it gets people to appointments, it gets people answers, and it helps people feel less alone when their world has been turned upside down.
If you take one thing from my experience, let it be this: if something in your mouth or throat doesn’t go away, if a biopsy site doesn’t heal, if you develop unexplained pain, or if you notice a lump — don’t ignore it. Go back. Ask again. Get another opinion if you need to. You’re not being difficult. You’re protecting your life.
If sharing my experience encourages even one person to get checked earlier, then it’s worth it.
Call to action
If you want to support the work that helps people recognise symptoms sooner, get to diagnosis faster, and feel supported through treatment and beyond, please support the Throat Cancer Foundation’s campaign here either by donating or organising your own fundraising:
