Throat Cancer Foundation

04/06/2026

Rab Connell before and after life-saving surgery for Stage 4 hypopharyngeal throat cancer. Rab and his family shared his story to raise awareness of throat cancer, its symptoms, and life after major surgery.

Rab showed us the surgery. Now we need to remember the person beyond it.

Last night, viewers of Surgeons: At the Edge of Life saw Rab Connell go through extraordinary surgery for Stage 4 hypopharyngeal throat cancer.

It was powerful. It was difficult. And it showed the remarkable skill of the surgeons and clinical teams who carry out this life-saving work.

But Rab is not just a patient. He is a person — with a life, a family, passions, memories, humour, and a future he is fighting to live.

That is why his story matters.

Rab first began experiencing difficulty swallowing in September 2024. He knew something was not right and kept pushing for answers. In March 2025, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 hypopharyngeal throat cancer.

The surgery saved his life, but changed it forever.

Rab lost his natural voice. He now breathes through a permanent stoma. He has had to adapt to eating, drinking, communicating and living in a very different way.

The operation is one chapter. Life after surgery is another.

At the Throat Cancer Foundation, we believe the whole journey matters — prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, surgery, recovery, aftercare, and life beyond cancer.

We are deeply grateful to Rab and his family for allowing his story to be shared with such honesty and courage.

Difficulty swallowing should never be ignored, especially if it is persistent or getting worse.

Other possible symptoms of throat cancer can include a persistent sore throat, changes to the voice, a lump in the neck, ear pain, unexplained weight loss, coughing up blood, or pain when swallowing.

These symptoms do not always mean cancer. But if they do not go away, they should be checked.

Rab lost his natural voice. But by sharing his story, he is still speaking powerfully for others.

Watch the episode here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002x8q9

Read Rab’s full story here:
https://www.throatcancerfoundation.org/rab-connell-the-man-who-lost-his-voice-and-still-chose-to-speak-out/

Rab’s episode also airs on BBC in England tonight at 23:00pm and BBC Scotland on Monday 8 June at 9:00pm.

03/06/2026

One hour to go: Rab Connell’s story and surgery airs tonight on BBC Two

At 9:00pm tonight, Rab Connell’s throat cancer journey will be shown on Surgeons: At the Edge of Life.

Rab was diagnosed with Stage 4 hypopharyngeal throat cancer after experiencing difficulty swallowing. The surgery that followed saved his life, but changed it forever.

Viewers will see Rab’s story, including the major surgery he agreed to have filmed, because he wants more people to understand throat cancer, its symptoms, and the reality of life after major treatment.

Rab lost his natural voice. But by sharing his story, he is still speaking powerfully for others.

BBC Two — Tonight, 9:00pm

Watch / find the episode here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002x8q9

Read Rab’s story here:
https://www.throatcancerfoundation.org/rab-connell-the-man-who-lost-his-voice-and-still-chose-to-speak-out/

Some viewers may find parts of the surgery difficult to watch, but Rab’s reason for sharing it matters: awareness can change outcomes.

Difficulty swallowing should never be ignored, especially if it is persistent or getting worse.

03/06/2026

Tonight on BBC Two: Rab Connell’s throat cancer story and surgery

Rab Connell lost his natural voice after life-saving surgery for Stage 4 hypopharyngeal throat cancer.

Tonight, viewers will see Rab’s story on Surgeons: At the Edge of Life, including the major surgery that saved his life but changed it forever.

Rab first began experiencing difficulty swallowing in September 2024. He knew something was not right and kept pushing for answers. In March 2025, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 hypopharyngeal throat cancer.

Rab agreed to share his story, and allow his surgery to be filmed, because he wants more people to understand throat cancer, its symptoms, and the reality of life after major treatment.

BBC Two — Wednesday 3 June, 9:00pm

Also airing on:

BBC Scotland — Monday 8 June, 9:00pm

Please watch if you can. Please share Rab’s story.

Difficulty swallowing should never be ignored, especially if it is persistent or getting worse.

Read Rab’s story here:

https://www.throatcancerfoundation.org/rab-connell-the-man-who-lost-his-voice-and-still-chose-to-speak-out/

02/06/2026

Pride Month

Everyone deserves to be heard.

This month, we stand with LGBTQ+ patients, families, carers, clinicians, volunteers and supporters.

At the Throat Cancer Foundation, we believe everyone affected by throat cancer deserves dignity, respect, clear information and compassionate care — free from stigma, embarrassment or judgement.

Whoever you are, whoever you love, and however you identify, you deserve to be treated with humanity.

01/06/2026

Rab Connell: The Man Who Lost His Voice — And Still Chose to Speak Out

Rab Connell knew something was wrong when he began struggling to swallow. Months later, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 hypopharyngeal throat cancer. His surgery saved his life — but changed it forever.

Rab first began experiencing difficulty swallowing in September 2024.

He knew something was not right. He made several visits to his GP and continued to push for answers. After numerous tests and scans, Rab was diagnosed with Stage 4 hypopharyngeal throat cancer in March 2025.

It was devastating news.

Because of the size and nature of the tumour, Rab was told that the only realistic option to save his life was major surgery. Without it, he was told he may only have had three to six months to live.

The operation that followed was not only life-saving. It was life-changing.

Surgeons removed major structures in Rab’s throat, including his voice box and thyroid. They reconstructed his food and drink passage using tissue from his leg and created a permanent stoma in his neck, meaning Rab now breathes through an opening in his neck.

For most people, that is almost impossible to imagine.

The surgery saved Rab’s life, but it also meant learning how to live in a completely different way. He had to adapt to life without his natural voice. He had to adjust to eating and drinking differently. He had to learn how to breathe through a stoma.

Ordinary daily routines — the things most of us do without thinking — suddenly became very different.

This is the reality of throat cancer that too many people never see.

Rab’s operation was highly complex and relatively rare. Because of the nature of his surgery and his journey, Rab was given the opportunity to have his story and surgery filmed for the BBC documentary series Surgeons: At the Edge of Life.

He chose to do it for an important reason.

Rab wants people to understand throat cancer. He wants people to see what it can mean. He wants people to know that symptoms such as difficulty swallowing should not be ignored.

And above all, he wants more people talking about a cancer that still does not get the attention it deserves.

At the Throat Cancer Foundation, we know how important stories like Rab’s are.

They are not easy stories to tell. They are not easy stories to watch. But they matter, because awareness can change outcomes.

Too many people still do not know the signs of throat cancer. Too many symptoms are dismissed, delayed or misunderstood. Too many people only learn about throat cancer when it has already changed their life, or the life of someone they love.

Difficulty swallowing is one of the symptoms that should always be taken seriously, especially if it is persistent or getting worse.

Other possible symptoms of throat cancer can include a persistent sore throat, changes to the voice, a lump in the neck, ear pain, unexplained weight loss, coughing up blood, or pain when swallowing.

These symptoms do not always mean cancer. But if they do not go away, they should be checked.

Rab’s story is a reminder of why people must keep pushing when they know something is wrong.

It is also a reminder of the extraordinary skill of surgical teams, the resilience of patients, and the strength it takes to rebuild life after throat cancer.

Rab lost his natural voice. But by sharing his story, he is still speaking — clearly, powerfully, and for others who may one day need to hear it.

Rab’s episode of Surgeons: At the Edge of Life airs on BBC Two on Wednesday 3 June at 9:00pm, and on BBC Scotland on Monday 8 June at 9:00pm.

We are grateful to Rab and his family for allowing people to see his story. It takes courage to go through what he has been through. It takes even more courage to share it with the world.

Please watch Rab’s story if you can. And please share this article so more people understand the signs, the impact, and the reality of throat cancer.

If you or someone you know has persistent throat symptoms, difficulty swallowing, voice changes, or a lump in the neck, do not ignore it. Speak to your GP and keep asking for answers if something does not feel right.

31/05/2026

Shared with kind permission from Yvonne McClaren, author of the GAG | eating life Substack, where she writes with honesty, humour and hard-won insight about eating, recovery and life after throat cancer treatment.

House Keeping: I wrote this over a year ago and never got around to publishing it.

If you have other things you could be doing, be warned this is a winge of the highest order.

12 months ago; life was clearly going south. Currently I am heading west.

I have a confession.

I am not coping. Not with winter, weight gain, high blood pressure, ORN (Osteoradionecrosis) half a face that constantly drips with a dull ache. The other half leans toward a cement drill wearing a plastic raincoat. My gums on the radiated side receding faster than coastal property prices in a flood zone.

Eating whatever I can manage. The scales don’t lie.

None of it.

My doctor looks at me - she knows, she’s been on the journey with me since ground zero.

No one, but no one, truly understands the side effects of this fin-awful treatment.

Doing this solo has its own special piquancy.

No one to make a cup of tea, no one to share meals, bills, decisions or take out the bins, service the car, feed the animals, stack the dishwasher, measure out the dimensions of new stove, get the back drains cleared and stand about with the plumbers chatting about the footy.

No one else to follow up the tax agent, the advisers, the aged care plan, the what if and it’s ok hon, I have your back, type conversation.

It’s all exhausting.

Juggle, juggle, juggle - drop a ball. Then another and manage the treatment side effects, continue to earn a living and keep up with family & friends.

Currently I can’t lift the arm on my neck dissection side, the exposed flesh on my lower jaw line (internal) is stripping away any vestige of personality I once possessed.

Shall I do this or this.

What if I am wrong. What if I am making the biggest mistake of my life.

It weighs heavy.

All of it.

Yet I continue to fight, kick and sometimes scream into the void that is my new life.

What the hell happened.

What now? Throw your best at me.

No seriously if you are going to do this you best do it properly, do it with passion and intent. Because I am definitely not here for a haircut, I am here staring straight at you, all knowing.

It’s exhausting and I am being drained of every last drop of “isn’t this all positive and good” and look, you are alive you best be grateful.

It’s not. It’s s**t.

It really is.

This disease tests your metal at every turn.

Just when you think it is going along ok, another white pointer looms in the murky depth of my future life.

Baby sharks, sea turtles and gently waving seaweed.

All I need is the yellow submarine and I’ll have the full trifecta.

Courage is rarely noble.

Most days it looks like getting out of bed when you don’t want to. Making another phone call. Attending another appointment. Paying another bill. Eating another meal you don’t particularly want. Smiling politely when someone tells you how lucky you are.

Lucky.

That’s an interesting word.

I didn’t feel lucky.

I felt tired.

Bone-deep, soul-deep tired.

Tired of making decisions. Tired of managing symptoms. Tired of explaining why I couldn’t eat that, do that, stay longer, push harder or simply “get back to normal”.

Because there is no normal.

There is only adaptation and adaptation is not a one-off event. It is a daily negotiation with a body that no longer follows the rules you once took for granted.

Some days I won.

Some days the sharks won.

Some days the seaweed wrapped itself around my ankles and I went nowhere at all.

But …

I kept showing up.

Not gracefully. Not with dignity. Not while radiating positivity and inspirational quotes.

I showed up muttering obscenities under my breath, carrying far more fear than I ever admitted, and occasionally staring into the abyss asking whether it might like to take a number and wait its turn.

Yet somehow, here I am.

Still fighting.

Still laughing at inappropriate moments.

Still finding the occasional baby shark, sea turtle and patch of sunlight among the wreckage.

So if you’re reading this and finding it all a bit much, welcome to the club.

Pull up a chair.

The tea might be cold, the biscuits stale and the conversation somewhat unhinged, but at least you’ll know you’re not the only one wondering what the hell happened and what comes next.

As for me?

I’m still waiting for that yellow submarine.

If life insists on being ridiculous, I may as well travel in style.

“When the white pointer lurks beneath, it’s passion that throws the best lifeline.”

Yeah Baby - Shark.

Eat Well x, Yvonne

About Yvonne McClaren
Yvonne McClaren is the author of GAG | eating life, a newsletter about eating, recovery and life after throat cancer treatment. She is also the author of GULP: Taking a Seat at the Table After Head and Neck Cancer, which explores the practical, emotional and social realities of eating after treatment. You can read more of Yvonne’s work at GAG | eating life. https://yvonnemcclaren.substack.com/

29/05/2026

28/05/2026

At the Throat Cancer Foundation, we like Jon Organ.

That is not a difficult sentence to write. Jon is one of those people who has taken something deeply personal, difficult and life-changing, and turned it into something that helps other people.

Through the charity he founded, Life After Lary, he supports people who have had a laryngectomy — people whose lives have been changed by surgery, treatment, recovery and everything that comes afterwards. He offers something that cannot be manufactured in a leaflet or delivered in a clinic appointment: lived experience.

That matters.

A laryngectomy is not simply an operation. It can change how someone breathes, speaks, eats, sleeps, socialises and sees themselves. It can affect confidence, relationships, independence and identity. It can leave people feeling isolated, frightened and unsure what life is supposed to look like now.

That is where people like Jon are invaluable.

He can say, “I know.” Not as a polite phrase. Not as a well-meaning guess. But because he really does know.

He knows what it means to rebuild life after losing your natural voice. He knows what it means to adapt to a stoma. He knows the practical realities, the frustrations, the dark humour, the awkward public moments, the small victories and the enormous courage it takes to keep going.

So yes, we like Jon.

We like him very much.

But here is the slightly awkward bit.

We hope you never need to meet him.

Not because Jon is not worth meeting. He absolutely is. But because the circumstances that bring people to Life After Lary are circumstances we want fewer people ever to face.

At the Throat Cancer Foundation, our work is centred on prevention, awareness and early diagnosis. Our aim is not only to support people after throat cancer has changed their lives, but to help stop more people reaching that point in the first place.

That is why we talk so much about knowing the signs.

A persistent sore throat. Hoarseness or voice changes that do not go away. Difficulty swallowing. A lump in the neck. Ear pain. Unexplained weight loss. Symptoms that linger, return or do not feel right.

Too often, people wait. They hope it will clear up. They assume it is nothing. They do not want to bother the GP. They explain symptoms away.

And sometimes, by the time they are seen, the cancer has already done more damage than it needed to.

That is what we want to change.

Early diagnosis can change treatment options. It can change outcomes. It can change quality of life. In some cases, it can mean less aggressive treatment and fewer life-changing consequences. Prevention and earlier diagnosis are not abstract ideas. They are the difference between someone keeping more of the life they know and having to rebuild it from the ground up.

That is why Jon’s work matters so much — and why our work matters too.

Life After Lary is there when someone has already gone through the storm. It helps people adjust, recover, connect and believe that life can still be meaningful, funny, purposeful and full.

The Throat Cancer Foundation is working further upstream. We want more people to understand throat cancer before diagnosis. We want more people to recognise symptoms earlier. We want HPV and throat cancer discussed more openly. We want better public awareness, better information, and fewer late diagnoses.

This is not a competition between charities.

It is a pathway.

People need support before diagnosis, during treatment, after treatment and sometimes for the rest of their lives. No one organisation can do all of that alone. But between us, we can make the pathway less lonely, less confusing and, where possible, less brutal.

Jon helps people live after laryngectomy.

We want fewer people to need a laryngectomy.

Both things can be true.

And perhaps that is the whole point.

We are grateful Jon exists. We are grateful Life After Lary exists. We are grateful that people who have had a laryngectomy can find someone who understands the reality of that life from the inside.

But the best outcome is not needing Jon’s help at all.

The best outcome is someone recognising symptoms early, speaking to their GP, being referred, being diagnosed sooner and receiving treatment before cancer takes more than it has to.

So yes, we like Jon Organ.

We admire what he is building. We respect the legacy he is creating. We are glad people have him when they need him.

We just hope far fewer people ever do.

Know the signs. Don’t wait. If something does not feel right, get it checked.

26/05/2026

Email [email protected] whether you are a patient or loved on caring for someone who has or had or going through throat cancer.

26/05/2026

2nd piece of media coverage for our young fundraiser, Sev Yıldırım, who is taking on a massive 10 day, nearly 100 mile challenge in memory of her great grandad.

While many charity challenges are completed within a few hours, Sev’s challenge will demand sustained physical and emotional commitment over more than a week.