'I thought I had a cold - it took me five years to get my life back'

'I thought I had a cold - it took me five years to get my life back' Mum Lisa Martin had a small lump at the back of her throat which she thought was the result of a cold that just would not clear A mum thought the lump in her throat was down to a lingering cold - but it was actually a hidden sign she has tongue cancer. Lisa Martin, 47, first noticed a small lump under her chin in August 2018 and thought she had swollen glands. But when it didn't resolve itself, a friend suggested she visit the GP and she was referred to specialists who tested fluid inside the lump. After two clear tests and a surgery to remove what doctors thought was a gland, tests revealed it was secondary cancer. What followed was six biopsies, endless scans and appointments, and a robotic surgery during which the back of her tongue was cut open. Surgeons finally found the source of the cancer cells - a tumour buried deep in the base of her tongue. Lisa, who works in fundraising for cancer charity Macmillan, was unable to speak for five weeks and could only breathe using a tracheostomy after a biopsy conducted by a surgeon controlling the robot. She then had to undergo the same gruelling process a second time to remove the tumour. Finally, a third surgery to remove her lymph nodes to ensure no cancer remained saw her get clear margins and be deemed cancer-free after two years of treatments. Lisa, a mum-of-two from Thornton, Lancashire, said: "Both of the robotic surgeries were very emotionally and psychologically intense. "I was put into a coma, had to have a tracheostomy, had to be on a liquid diet through a tube, and couldn't speak for five weeks the first time. But the alternative to the robotic surgery scared me more - the potential side effects of the chemo and radiotherapy included a jaw reconstruction and having no saliva for life. "It took a year of recovery, but I was finally confirmed to be cancer-free and I eventually got my life back." Initially, Lisa was sure the lump was not cancerous. She had the lump removed in October 2018, and returned to work when she was healed, believing everything was behind her. But soon after, she got a phone call asking her to return to the clinic. She said: "I remember seeing the look on the nurse's face as she brought me into see the doctor. "The doctor told me they had found secondary cancer in the lump - squamous cell carcinoma. They then needed to find the primary source - it turned out I had been quite far into my cancer journey before I even knew it had begun." A standard biopsy of her tongue highlighted 'hotspots' which needed a more targeted biopsy. This required 'Da Vinci robotic surgery' - a remotely-operated robot controlled by a surgeon would move to the back of her throat and cut into her tongue, at Blackburn Royal Teaching Hospital. Lisa underwent this in March 2019, and she was put into a medically-induced coma for 72 hours. She said: "I couldn't speak, so I was Facetiming my sons and text messaging them to tell them off, or writing messages on bits of paper." She was then told she needed to undergo another surgery to remove the cancer. Lisa said: "After that, I was told my first option was to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy rather than more robotic surgery, but that also came with a lot of problems. "My original surgeon believed the second option - repeating the robotic surgery, but this time to remove the tumour - was the best option. So I put my big girl pants on and went through the whole process again." After that surgery, in May 2019, she had to have a third surgery later that month - a bilateral neck dissection - to remove all the lymph nodes in her neck to ensure there was no remaining cancer. In 2024, five years on from her final treatment, Lisa got her all-clear scans and was discharged from care. She said: "It's definitely all been a shock to the system but the words we use are grateful and lucky. Not everyone is given the option for robotic surgery so I guess it was the case of right place, right time, and I feel incredibly lucky I had the opportunity for that. "For others, I'd say get as much information as you can, and make the decision that's right for you. And hard as it is, try to stay positive throughout it all. If you can get through it, life is for living." Jonathan Gregory, National Clinical Adviser at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "It’s fantastic that innovations like robotic surgery are already helping people like Lisa to have a high quality of life after cancer treatment. "But it is critical that everyone benefits from these advances, regardless of factors like where they live, or where they receive their treatment."