Lot to Speak About: Woman Gets Tongue Made from Arm Skin

LONDON:
A woman whose tongue was removed during treatment of cancer has got a new one. It is made from skin and tissues taken from her arm, a media report said.

Stephanie Wigglesworth, 36, of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma six years ago and underwent a neck dissection, The Mirror reported. Surgeons cut through her neck, sliced her tongue down the middle and removed half of it. The new tongue was then made using skin, muscles and a long vein from the woman”s left arm.

Stephanie cannot talk as easily as before, but is now cancer-free. She takes her feed through a tube. Despite her tough journey, Stephanie stays positive. She was quoted: “My arm, from where the skin was removed, hurt more than my mouth, which I couldn”t believe.

“When you get cancer, it”s like you”re being forced into a club that you don”t want to join. I want my old voice back, but I can”t, so I just have to accept it.”