Mark Allen after facial reconstruction – SWNSSurgeons successfully rebuilt half his face, after a father-of-two was saved by the family dog sniffing out a cancerous tumor.
Mark Allen was given just weeks to live after being diagnosed with an aggressive tumor that had spread across most of the right side of his face.
The 65-year-old noticed his mixed-breed collie had been acting strangely—nudging, pawing, and becoming overly-affectionate towards him—for months, prior to his diagnosis. He thought nothing of it at the time, but later realized his pet was trying to tell him something.
Mark said he ignored symptoms for nearly 12 months, which meant his tumor spread across most of his face—and he’s now urging others not do the same, by raising awareness through a charity.
“I couldn’t breathe out of my right nostril for about a year or so because of a polyp,” said the consultant and CEO from Warwick, England.
“At the time, Jessie was acting oddly, clinging around my legs and behaving in a closeness she had not previously done.
“When I finally went to see the doctor and got the results, I think I’d already worked out it was going to be cancer because of Jessie’s behavior.”
“Had I gone to the doctors earlier, I’m sure the treatment would not have been as severe as it turned out to be, but I had allowed the cancer to get to stage 4.
Mark Allen’s dog Jessie saved his life – SWNS“I asked the consultant what would happen if I did not have surgery, and he replied to say I would be dead within weeks.
Mark underwent a grueling 10-hour operation that removed the tumor and half of his face along with it. Surgeons then embarked on a massive facial reconstruction, which involved replacing his cheekbone with his pelvis bone, removing his right eye socket and swapping out his jaw for titanium plates. They also re-built the roof of his mouth and throat with tissue from his abdomen, and removed the lymph nodes and saliva glands from the right side of his neck to stop the cancer spreading any further.
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They managed to get the tumor out cleanly but Mark had to undergo intensive radiotherapy, which he described as ‘quite nasty’.
“You just never know when something might strike that is going to change your life significantly.”
Mark has now teamed up with a UK charity, the Get A-Head Charitable Trust, to raise awareness of the risks of head and neck cancer.
“I am very lucky and would be in a very different place if it wasn’t for charities like Get A-Head who helped fund some of the vital equipment used in the re-construction of my face.
“I’ll never be quite the same, but when I was diagnosed, I promised myself two things—that I wouldn’t feel sorry for myself and that some good would come out of my situation.
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“The good thing, I’m still here to tell the tale and help raise awareness along with Get A-Head. My advice to others is not to ignore symptoms. If something is not right, go and seek some consultation.”
Danni Heath, director of the Get A-Head Trust, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, said most cases of head and neck cancer are diagnosed at either stage three or four, making treatment lengthier and more invasive.
Key symptoms include persistent sore throats, painful or difficulty swallowing, neck lumps, nose bleeds, speech problems, earache, and a persistent blocked nose.
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“We very much hope people will take note of Mark’s valuable advice and seek medical help should they have any symptoms they might be concerned about.”
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