On Wednesday 2nd February we were really excited to have not only our first event of 2022, but also our first in-person Avocado Club since before the pandemic, and we were joined by Barbara Fountain-Reed to share her experience of the past couple of years with us.
Barbara is a local event concept designer, who was unexpectedly diagnosed with tongue cancer at the age of just 32. She underwent a partial glossectomy with neck dissection and radial forearm flap in early 2019. As a self-employed event professional, she had to be innovative and resourceful to get the support she needed, which was also a fate that repeated itself when Covid-19 hit.
When Barbara was diagnosed with Tongue Cancer she received support and help from local charity organisations such as The Big C, however in an effort to connect with fellow tongue cancer patients and survivors of her age, she quickly realised how underrepresented and underserved her community was. This was where the idea for Young Tongues came from and in early 2021, she founded the Young Tongues, a global peer-to-peer support group specifically for young tongue cancer patients and survivors.
Since starting up this group, she has received so many messages from other young cancer patients around the world, and this group has provided a platform for them to connect, engage and talk about their personal stories, as well as being able to offer advice to each other.
Barbara’s talk was so heart felt and she spoke with so much emotion and passion, it’s clear to see why this group has taken off and has been so successful. Not only has she received interest from people dealing with this diagnosis, but she has also been featured within the press to help raise awareness. This is something that is really important to her, as there is still the stigma that this is a cancer that mainly affects older people, which if you visit the website and social pages, it is evident that this is not the case, and the main reason that led her to start up Young Tongues.
Through Young Tongues, Barbara has built a community which allows its members to share their own personal experiences of being diagnosed, going through treatment, living with and surviving tongue cancer. Not only this, but it also provides reassurance that they are not alone and there is always someone there to speak to.
Everyone who attended the Avocado Club and listened to Barbara’s talk were inspired and we are so grateful that she was able to join us.
Details of our next event will be released soon!
Links:
https://instagram.com/youngtonguesglobal/
https://facebook.com/youngtonguesglobal
https://www.youngtonguesglobal.com/
