“I’m Annie, a Dental Therapy & Hygiene student with King’s College London University.
My maternal grandfather was diagnosed with Oropharyngeal Cancer in Spring of 2020, a time in all our lives when no one needed any more bad news. As he is in Canada, it was really tough to hear about his diagnosis, as I just felt so helpless being thousands of miles away. He is currently undergoing extensive chemotherapy which is, understandably, severely impacting his mental and physical health. When it was safe to do so, I travelled with my mum and sister to visit him in Summer of 2022 – it was so lovely to spend time with him and see his determination to fight the cancer.
I have chosen to volunteer for the Throat Cancer Foundation to help him and my family, and to ultimately raise awareness to the public of a condition with such stigma. It is my mission to help those impacted by cancers affecting the throat both through my volunteering and eventually in my profession as a Dental Professional.
I am looking forward to my volunteering journey with the charity by raising awareness of cancers affecting the throat and offering support and guidance for patients and their loved ones.”