Woman loses tongue to cancer, but gets new tattooed tongue made from her arm—here's her story

37-year-old Jennifer Alexander from the USA was living a typical life as an associate tax accountant when she received the dreaded diagnosis of stage one tongue cancer. But what happened later in her journey after she lost her tongue to the dreaded disease is what makes her story stand out.

For over a decade, Jennifer Alexander battled recurring leukoplakia—a painful white patch on her tongue caused by HPV. (HPV infection is a viral infection that commonly leads to the development of skin or mucous membrane growths, often known as warts.)

In August 2009, a tumour appeared, prompting her to rush to the dentist for a biopsy. The results confirmed she had stage one tongue cancer, caused by HPV, as her doctors explained.

After surgery to remove the tumour, the cancer returned in October 2017 and again in October 2019.

Determined to stop the tumour from re-growing, Jennifer opted for tongue reconstruction surgery in March 2020.?This procedure involved removing a chunk of flesh from her left arm and stitching it to her tongue.?

But Jennifer added a personal twist—she used the portion of her arm with a blue star tattoo for the reconstruction, and it was stitched onto her tongue.

Credit: New York Post/ SWNS

"I decided to do things differently and had half of my tongue cut out and reconstructed," Jennifer explained to New York Post.

"I know I don't look like the kind of person with a mouth tattoo, but I use it to educate people about tongue cancer."

Credit: Unsplash

Although she was warned she might lose a lot of weight due to not being able to eat, Jennifer wasn't worried.?

Leading up to her surgery, she gained 10 pounds, but ended up losing 70 pounds afterward, relying solely on protein shakes.

Jennifer embraced the challenge with a positive outlook, excited to "take her life back" despite the ordeal.?

"I had three months without eating or speaking," she said. "I had speech therapy to learn how to talk again."

Now 52, Jennifer's mission is to raise awareness about tongue cancer among people under 40, highlighting the symptoms and the importance of early detection.

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