How a Debilitating Diagnosis Inspired a Mission to Help Others

Seventeen years ago, “Hank” D. received a life-altering diagnosis: stage IV, inoperable squamous cell carcinoma at the base of his tongue. Initially, doctors recommended extensive surgery—removal of his tongue, esophagus, and voice box—likely leaving him unable to speak or eat. Instead, both chemotherapy and radiation took center stage in his fight for survival.

Hank endured 48-hour cisplatin infusions and 42 radiation treatments. He spent 15 months on a feeding tube and faced ongoing side effects like xerostomia (dry mouth), chemo brain, and neuropathy. Yet through unyielding determination, he committed to living by the question, “What’s next, Doc?” rather than dwelling on “Why me?” By 2006, Hank confronted a second cancer, this time in the prostate, leading to another 35 radiation sessions. In 2009, he battled Ludwig’s Angina—an emergency infection—requiring multiple surgeries, overnight hospital stays, full dental extraction, partial jawbone removal, and 50 hyperbaric oxygen dives.

Despite these setbacks, Hank’s resilience—rooted partly in his experiences with polio as a child—propelled him forward. Defying early predictions that he would never walk unassisted, he not only learned to walk again but eventually started running 5K races. Today, he channels this fighting spirit into a new mission: to educate, screen, and support individuals facing oral, head, and neck cancers. Through his Western Ohio Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Support Programs, Hank coordinates five free screenings each year, primarily for the uninsured. He also collaborates with dental and medical professionals, ensuring more people receive vital early testing.

Even after multiple surgeries and radiation treatments, Hank continues to spread the message: “Take control, or be controlled.” As a devoted husband of 50 years, father of three, grandfather of eight, and great-grandfather to eight, he personifies the power of faith, family, and fierce dedication. His new normal isn’t about returning to life before cancer—it’s about forging a purposeful path that benefits others, underscoring that no one should face oral cancer alone.