A woman who battled mouth cancer had part of her tongue removed and remade from her leg - and compared its new appearance to a "drumstick lolly". Charlotte Webster-Salter, 27, began suffering from recurring ulcers in 2018 but put it down to working long shifts as a flight attendant and feeling "run down".
After several trips to the dentist and GP, Charlotte was eventually referred to a specialist at the Ear, Nose and Throat department at St Richards Hospital, Chichester, in February 2021 for a biopsy after her tongue developed sore, white patches. The shocking results revealed that Charlotte had a tongue cancer after a tumour was discovered on her tongue in May 2021.
A few weeks later, she underwent a nine-hour long operation at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, which involved removing part of her tongue and replacing it with muscle from her leg. Charlotte had no idea if she would be able to speak or eat normally again and spent the next two weeks with a tracheostomy - an opening in the neck with a tube inserted to help you breathe.
