‘THE ONLY WAY IS ESSEX’ DENTAL TEAM JOIN THE MOUTH CANCER FOUNDATION 10KM AWARENESS WALK

13:00 SUNDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 2013, HYDE PARK, LONDON

THURSDAY 27TH JUNE 2013

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Interviews Available:Mouth Cancer Walk Participant Louise McAllister

To set up an interview please call Media Ambitions on 0208 940 2222.

“Head and neck cancers are vicious and debilitating when detected late. Patients who survive are a huge drain on medical resources for the rest of their lives, in terms of post operative and the psychological care required. With earlier detection, lives are saved and costs on the NHS will reduce dramatically. The Mouth Cancer 10KM Awareness Walk is a great way to generate publicity about head and neck cancers. Help us by stepping out to make a difference this September!”

Founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation Dr Vinod Joshi

Louise McAllister, 44, a Principal Dentist at The Essex Dental Clinic in Earls Colne, Essex is taking part in the 8th annual Mouth Cancer 10 KM Awareness Walk for the first time.

Together with all team members, friends, family and some patients Cheryl Homewood, 48; Gavin Barry, 32; Mary Fitzpatrick, 40; Lindsay Haward, 26; Stacey Goddard, 25; Louise Knights, 25; Carly Joseph, 31; Bill McAllister, 46; Charlie McAllister, 15; Tom McAllister, 14; Henry McAllister, 11; Luke Snelling, 25; Dave Homewood, 50; and Carolyn Knights, 56, she formed a team “The Only Way is Essex” in order to raise money for one of the UK’s leading mouth cancer charities, the Mouth Cancer Foundation.

The Essex Dental Clinic supports a different charity each year. This year the team has decided to support a mouth cancer charity after recently detecting cancer on a 31 year-old patient’s tongue.

Louise says “We really want to raise the awareness of mouth cancer and the risk factors to our patients and our local community. We screen all our patients for mouth cancer at their check up appointments and want people to be aware of the importance of early diagnosis and prevention.We are really looking forward to this year’s event and hope the sun shines and we don’t get too many blisters!”

The Mouth Cancer Foundation 10 KM Awareness Walk takes place at 13:00 Sunday 29th September 2013, in Hyde Park, London. People travel from all over the country to spread the message about how important it is to detect mouth cancers early, spot the signs and know the symptoms.

In the UK, nearly 8000 people are diagnosed with Mouth Cancer every year. Cancers can occur in any part of the mouth, tongue, lips, and adjacent areas like the throat, salivary glands, pharynx, larynx, sinus, and other sites in the head and neck area. In its very early stages, these Mouth Cancers can be easy to ignore.

Symptoms include:

1. An ulcer or white or red patch anywhere in the mouth that does not heal within 3 weeks

2. A lump or swelling anywhere in the mouth, jaw or neck that persists for more than 3 weeks

3. A difficulty in swallowing, chewing or moving the jaw or tongue

5. A numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth

6. A feeling that something is caught in the throat

7. A chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists more than 6 weeks

8. An unexplained loosening of teeth with no dental cause

Dr Joshi continues “The Mouth Cancer 10KM Awareness Walk is a great opportunity for mouth cancer survivors, their families and friends, the public and health professionals to come together and stand up against this debilitating disease.”

To take part in the FREEMouth Cancer Foundation10 KM Awareness Walk visit you wish to sponsor “The Only Way is Essex”, you can do so at

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For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

Elizabeth Laverack or Izabela Nair

Media Ambitions020 8940 2222

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Mouth Cancer Foundation –

The Mouth Cancer Foundation is a registered charity no. 1109298.

The Mouth Cancer Foundation is a charity solely dedicated to supporting people affected by head and neck cancer. Support can play a pivotal role in meeting the psychosocial needs of patients. The Mouth Cancer Foundation’s online and telephone support service has given head and neck cancer patients and families the opportunity to articulate the consequences of their cancer journey and communicate their shared experiences. It is vital that the charity continues to provide free accessible information resources and ensure Mouth Cancer Foundation support is provided to those that need them.

More information about Mouth Cancer is available at the Mouth Cancer Foundation website or by emailing