Mom issues warning after doctors 'dismissed' cancer symptom as canker sore

A mom, who had just suffered a series of unfortunate events, noticed a little patch of skin; she couldn’t have imagined how long it’d take for her to be taken seriously.

Rachel Passarella was in the middle of the aftermath of a breakup, having had her relationship end two weeks prior to looking in the mirror.

There, she saw a red spot on her tongue.

However, having been crying constantly, not eating, and generally feeling lousy, she assumed it was a reaction to her inner turmoil.

It’s just a ‘cancer sore’, she told herself, and went about her day.

But to be safe, at a routine dentist appointment three weeks later, Rachel decided to bring it up.

Rachel Passarella was diagnosed with cancer after believing it was a sore (Rachel Passarella)

There, her dentist told her: "You’re healthy. You don’t smoke or drink. It’s probably a canker sore."

As a family nurse practitioner living in Florida. The 42-year-old knew all about what to look for when it came to cancer, but as the patch was tiny, and her dentist wasn’t concerned, she took to trying out canker sore patches, coconut oil, and other holistic measures.

But nothing seemed to work.

Writing for NewsWeek, Rachel admitted that by November, the patch had doubled in size when an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor suggested it was an inflammatory lesion.

However, it was a painful spot, which was only getting worse.

Then came the struggle with eating, and losing 15 pounds unintentionally.

At another dentist appointment, this time with a different dentist, her was told ‘it’s likely cancer’ after he spotted it straight away and scanned it with a handheld device.

She had tongue cancer (Rachel Passarella)

For Rachel, this was the worst time to be told about her urgent medical crisis.

Just one day prior, she’d lost her job, her health insurance, and soon...her car to a no-fault accident.

In March, six months after noticing the patch, the mom was finally handed her diagnosis after having to pay out of pocket for biopsies: squamous cell carcinoma, aka tongue cancer.

The tumor was 8 mm deep when it was removed from her tongue, as well as 40 lymph nodes on the right side of her neck.

Thankfully, her nodes were cancer-free, leading to Rachel to have Stage 2 tongue cancer.

But with the surgery came even more challenges.

Rachel lost 35-37 per cent of her tongue and at one point, was rushed to hospital with a burst artery in her tongue.

The healthcare worker now needs speech therapy and scans every three months for the next two years to check for a reoccurring tumor.

As a single mom of four, the cost has been difficult, particularly without a job.

So, she’s now raising funds via her GoFundMe page to help with bills and medical fees until she can find employment.