'I had a third of my tongue removed after pain from braces turned out to be something deadly'

Kimberley Hattersley-Barton, 26, was first diagnosed with bladder cancer at just 13 months old and, after being cancer-free for a year, is now facing a new battle: kidney failure

A woman who had to have a third of her tongue removed after pain from her braces turned out to be cancer has opened up about her recent struggle with kidney failure.

Kimberley Hattersley-Barton, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was first diagnosed with bladder cancer when she was just 13 months old.

Fast forward more than two decades, the 26 year old has been re-diagnosed several times as doctors discovered new cancers in her body. They found a mass on her tongue, then a few years later, cancer in her thyroid.

Now, a year after being declared cancer-free, she's facing another battle: kidney failure. "I started renal dialysis for my condition [a few months ago]," Kimberley said.

"It's a late effect of the treatment I had with my childhood cancer. I'm still adapting to my new normal routine, but it's been extremely difficult.", reports Surrey Live.

She added: "Especially after all my previous challenges. I realised I had a lump at the back of my tongue but didn't think anything of it [at first, because of my braces]."

"But a few days later, it had changed size and shape so my mum took me to the GP and they referred me to the hospital. That is when they told me that I had a malignant tumour."

"I just remember crying straight away and saying that I don't want it [the cancer] to come back."

"As a baby, I had six months' worth of treatment and was left with multiple lifelong treatment side effects and I didn't want this cancer to leave me with something else. I was gutted and so upset."

Kimberley faced a daunting outlook when doctors revealed the devastating news she was to undergo six and a half weeks of radiotherapy followed by an operation to remove the affected portion of her tongue. Speaking about her experience, she recounted: "They had to remove the back third of my tongue."

Kimberley spoke of her strenuous recovery process, saying: "After the surgery, it was a long, hard and tiring time."

She went on to describe the difficulties she encountered during her recovery, noting: "It was a lot to deal with because I had to learn how to speak again, even how to swallow with some of my tongue missing."

Post-surgery, Kimberley felt significantly weakened, sharing: "I was very weak after the surgery as well."

The intensive treatment regimen profoundly impacted her strength and well-being, as she confessed: "By the end of treatment, I was just completely drained and just really frail."

Her severe weight loss greatly affected her autonomy, with Kimberley revealing: "I lost so much weight, I couldn't get up by myself, I was living off supplement drinks."

The pain was intense, and although Kimberley finds these recollections difficult, she confided: "It was really painful these are harsh memories that I do struggle to look back on."

Following a gruelling battle with cancer, she found herself in remission and ready to move on from this chapter of her life. However, fate had a different script.

Four years after her original operation in 2016, Kimberley discerned unusual discomfort in her tongue, indicative of a serious warning sign. Tragically, the cancer had recurred.

She explained her ordeal, describing the location of the recent affliction: "This time, it was in the middle of my tongue."

On this occasion, no typical warning signs such as lumps were apparent; rather, a constant pain pervaded. She opened up about how this affected her nourishment by saying: "But I literally couldn't eat food, not even tomato sauce."

Medical professionals then uncovered another abnormal growth, prompting an urgent response. In a rapid turn of events, Kimberley was once again lined up for an operation to excise additional portions of her tongue.

Concerns about the outcome consumed her thoughts: "I was worried how much more of my tongue they were going to remove and what my speech would be like afterwards."

Her disbelief at the situation was palpable as she revealed her shock at the number of times cancer had struck: "At that point, in my mind, I didn't think you could get cancer three times, yeah maybe twice, but a third time [felt unbelievable]."

The procedures extended beyond her tongue, as she recounted: "They also did a right side neck dissection, [an operation to remove lymph nodes] to make sure the cancer hadn't spread further."

Subsequent to the surgeries, Kimberley reflected on the residual physical changes with a sense of irony: "Because of that, I now have a U-shape scar, like a smile, across my neck. But I was just happy to go home."

Kimberleys struggles, unfortunately, continued. She detected an anomaly during one of her regular check-ups in June 2022 which later confirmed to be thyroid cancer.

Fortunately, the detection was as early as possible.

Given her past health scares, the doctors opted for a comprehensive approach in December of that year, removing both the thyroid gland and the nodes that could potentially be affected. Kimberley's resilience sees her through the aftermath of these medical interventions, as she endeavours to maintain day-to-day normalcy and takes the opportunity to increase public attention towards such health issues.

She remarked: "It's taken a lot to try and get back to some normality and routine because, without a thyroid, I have to take medication to help balance out my hormone levels and metabolism and all that affects my energy levels."

"They want [to make] sure that any remaining cells in there that can't get treated are definitely going to be kept suppressed, basically."

"So I am suffering with fatigue but all in all I have recovered quite well. I will live with the side effects of the treatment for the rest of my life, but I am just glad to be thriving after surviving the battles I have overcome."

Additionally, Kimberley has been actively sharing her journey and raising awareness on Instagram under the handle @kimberleys_lifewiththeribbon, where she has amassed a following of over 700 supporters.

Earlier this month, she organized a charity gala that impressively raised more than £10,000 for three charities pivotal to her support network.

Looking to the future, Kimberley anticipates hosting another fundraiser, 'Life With The Ribbon: Charity Gala', on May 10, 2025, which will aim to generate additional funds and celebrate five years since her remission.