A teacher had to have her tongue rebuilt from her arm after what she thought was a mouth ulcer - turned out to be terminal cancer.

Emma Byron, 45, was first diagnosed with Stage 1 oral squamous carcinoma cancer in September 2023.

She originally believed the lump in her mouth was an ulcer caused by an inflammatory disease called lichen planus.

But she decided to contact her local hospital and go for a biopsy.

Emma, from Rochester, Kent, said: "I initially thought it was because of a condition I have called lichen planus, which causes ulcers."

"I then got a call to come in, and as soon as I found out I was meeting a surgeon, I knew that I had cancer."

She had her first surgery at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead in October of that year, where she had 42 lymph nodes removed, as well as a small section of her tongue.

However, Emma ended up having serious complications following the procedure and had to be moved to intensive care at Guys Hospital in London.

She added: "I had a chyle leak, which is when fatty fluids leak into your body."

"I had to have another surgery on my lung to try and stop the leak, but by that point, I was so weak."

"They put a pipe down my throat, and I had to be put under. It was horrible. I felt as though I couldn't breathe."

In February 2024, Emma returned to her teaching job - but three months later, a lump appeared on her neck.

After having several scans, she was told it was a large tumour and was diagnosed with Stage 3 oral cavity sarcoma cancer in June last year.

She said: "It was such a shock. It was just not what I was expecting. I just thought it was going to be something like lymphedema."

"Over the next six weeks, I had scans, MRIs, and various tests to find out where it was - and then I went in for surgery."

"As the cancer was so aggressive, I had to make a decision whether or not I wanted to go ahead with the surgery or choose instead to have chemotherapy to prolong my life."

"I felt like a train had hit me. I agreed to it and had the surgery two days later."

Emma underwent a 14-hour-long operation, which involved a neck dissection and hemi-glossectomy, a surgical procedure to remove half of the tongue, tongue reconstruction, and partial jaw reconstruction.

She says that 40 per cent of her tongue was removed and replaced with part of her arm, as well as part of her jaw being replaced with titanium.

The surgery was intended to cure the condition, but a few weeks after she returned home, Emma found more lumps in her neck.

Initially, she was supposed to have 33 rounds of radiotherapy following the surgery, but on the day of her first session, doctors decided she needed a biopsy first.

The results revealed that the cancer had become incurable Stage 4 head and neck cancer, having spread to her lymph nodes, lungs, and leg.

Emma said: "They told me that they were now looking at prolonging life rather than a cure, which was obviously horrendous to hear."

"Head and neck cancer is very, very aggressive. I've had chemotherapy, which worked very effectively, so it's now clear from my lymph nodes and my lungs, which is amazing."

"I've got a small tumour in my neck and another in my leg, and I've been having radiotherapy."

"Now I'm on a maintenance treatment, which I will continue until it stops working, and then I will try immunotherapy, chemotherapy agent, and then trials."

Emma has decided to do a 200-metre-high zip line above Lake Bled in Slovenia to raise money for the Queen Victoria Head and Neck Unit and Maidstone Oncology, who have cared for her throughout her diagnosis.

Her mum, Julie, who works at Marks and Spencer in Chatham, also raised £320 through a game night for the hospitals.

She will be completing the challenge this afternoon (June 23) and donations can be made through her GoFundMe page.

She said: "I can't run a marathon or anything, and my energy levels are quite low."

"I've always wanted to go to Slovenia because it looks beautiful, so I booked it, and one of my friends suggested I do a zip-line out there to raise some money."

"I'm really excited. I've never done anything like this before. I'm hoping to raise at least £1,000 for each of the hospitals."

"I can honestly say that every single doctor, nurse, dietitian, surgeon, physiotherapist, and cleaner treated me with such kindness, warmth, and made me feel safe at a difficult time in my life."

"Everyone went above and beyond, and I am so so grateful to every single person who helped me."

GoFundMe link here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/queen-victoria-head-and-neck-unit-and-maidstone-oncology