Sussex man takes on Brighton Marathon after ‘surreal’ experience during Covid-19 lockdown
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Ian Vallance, 53 from Hove, is the director of Smile Train UK - an international cleft charity. Back in 2020 he was diagnosed with mouth cancer after finding a small ulcer on his tongue. He didn’t think anything of it at first but when it became more painful and didn’t go away, Ian visited his GP and things moved very quickly after that.
He said: “Everyone’s cancer experience is personal to them and it’s something we perhaps all dread hearing. Mine was actually a little surreal given the country was still in lockdown during the pandemic so I had to attend the appointment alone. To be honest there had been so many tests and biopsies in the weeks leading up to it that I think I knew it was coming so I probably would have been more surprised to hear it wasn’t cancer. In hindsight I was probably numb, but hearing the words was remarkably undramatic.
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Hide Ad“I have nothing but the utmost praise for our incredible NHS who quite literally saved my life. I had an amazing support team of medical professionals who moved incredibly quickly to ensure I was given the treatment I needed. I needed major surgery followed with radiotherapy, so my daily focus changed to getting through the next hurdle and focusing on my recovery.”
The experience has made Ian think about his role with Smile Train more. He said: “As much as of course anyone at Smile Train has enormous empathy for our patients and what they may have been through, it is difficult to appreciate what it’s really like. Even though I am not personally cleft affected, I had oral cancer so suddenly things most of us take for granted such as smiling, speaking and eating became extremely painful and difficult.
“There is a certain sense of irony given I work for Smile Train that I found myself under the care of maxillofacial surgeons, orthodontists, speech therapists, nutritionists and physiotherapists as part of my treatment and recovery, but I do think it’s certainly given me a level of insight and understanding I perhaps didn’t have previously.”
Ian will take on Brighton Marathon for Smile Train on Sunday (April 2).