Head & Neck Cancer Videos

TESTIMONIALS: HEAD & NECK CANCER VIDEO SERIES

“The interviews have elicited some very interesting and up to date information about head and neck cancer treatment. It’s rare for patients to have access to this information from leading clinicians.”

“Enjoyed your video about masks with Paul Keall and Phyllis Butow. I had 30 sessions of radiotherapy 5yrs ago, on vocal cords. Every time I hear a stud pop, I react to it. My mask was so tight I had squares all over my face. I have since had a laryngectomy, thyroid removed, neck dissection and pecs flap reconstruction of pharynx. Without an awful lot of emotional support. Especially as I have no speech. Very isolating. Been 8 months now. I have a psychologist who has been very kind. Keep up the good work, I will be following. 🙏”

“Very well put! Not enough publicity about throat cancer.”

“Completely agree that those of us who don’t live in the cities do not have the Multidisciplinary Teams available rurally to help with the survivorship  and function issues that are essential for QOL.”

“Thank you Gary Mar and Denyse Whelan for your videos with the patient view. I think we all agree that the mental health aspect of HNC is HUGE.”

“In the video from the Julie McCrossin series, an Australian clinical psychologist makes a superb point about seeking help for HNC distress. See us as tradies, he says, similar to a plumber or electrician. It’s not like ‘seeing a shrink’.”

“This is sterling advice from a psychologist Julie McCrossin interviewed recently. Think of them as tradies offering practical help with something that’s a bit broken. Julie I think I have figured out how to embed a relevant section of a video into our website so I can point out something that is very relevant to out people. These days there’s a lot more psychological help but it wasn’t always so and some of us are reluctant to get this sort of help. I want to promote it any way I can.”

“What a fanbloodytastic series of videos. It was made in such a professional way and with you Julie, MC’ing each one of them is just fabulous. With this series and Beyond Five’s website I don’t think you could get any better sources of information if you are a person just being diagnosed or are already into the journey of head and neck cancer. And as for myself, being a survivor I found it so informative and interesting to see the progression in advancements to make the journey and outcome for patients better. Thank you Julie for organising and putting it all together and also thank you to everyone else involved making it such a success.”

“Immunotherapy offers new hope, but it does not work for everyone. This is one of the main messages I gleaned from an interview with two Sydney oncologists, Dr Vanessa Chin and Dr Amy Prawira who would like to see more research to increase the benefit of immunotherapy to a wider range of patients.”

“I will try to summarise one of Julie McCrossin’s videos about chemo and immunotherapy as I like to keep up with the latest science. We are at a watershed moment with immunotherapy. It’s showing great promise and benefit for some but much more research needs to be done to increase its effectiveness for all. And there is also the funding issue.”

“Thank you for doing this!”

“What I’ve seen of the videos is excellent. So helpful. Great for people who have just been diagnosed too!”

“This is a topic that interests me greatly. In New Zealand, Head & Neck Cancer patients face the same issues with dentistry post radiation and chemotherapy – No funding! If it was an accident I’d be covered, but not with cancer! I’ve had half of my jaw replaced thanks to radiation damage (Osteoradionecrosis) and have minimal teeth as most where removed prior to treatment beginning. And what is left is in a bad state as the treatment takes a toll on the wellbeing of your mouth and as there is no funding available for corrective measures and therefore I’m losing what teeth I have left. Eating is not a social thing anymore as my swallow is very poor and I need soft foods and most of the time. I can’t even be bothered trying to eat as it is such a mission. I’ve gone from 106 to 65 kilos and am struggling to maintain that. I cough and choke on anything and need a ton of water to be able to swallow even the softest foods. Whilst this YouTube link made me feel I wasn’t alone, it offered no solution.”

“Thank you, I have enjoyed and had questions answered. That have worried me for nearly a year. 🤗”

“I commend you for doing this. The shared lived experience gives so much to everyone. As a doctor, I really value the insights people can share with me about their journey through illness and recovery, what I can learn from that, and how I can share that and inform the treatment I give. Brava Julie!” Katherine Samaras, Professor of Medicine | St Vincent’s Clinical School | School of Medicine | UNSW Australia