Dad told he could have months to live after going to doctor when water spurted out of his nose
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA dad from Middleton had to have a tumour the size of a tennis ball removed from his cheek after smoking for decades. Phil Sledden-Houston, now 51, was just 48 years old when he was forced to have invasive surgery, with doctors slicing into his face to remove the huge cancerous lump.
He was told by doctors he had to have the surgery or he would be dead within six months. In order to repair his damaged cheek, a surgeon had to remove part of Phil's hip bone and move it into his face, leaving him unable to smile. READ MORE: 'They should spend it on this s***hole': Levelling up fund leaves Greater Manchester town with more questions than answers The dad of two realised something was wrong when he took a drink of water and it spurted out of his nose.
Now, after smoking since his teenage years, Phil is sharing his story to urge other people to quit. “I started smoking at school when I was around 15 or 16 as everyone smoked back then," he said. "I never thought about how it was affecting my health as I wasn’t a heavy smoker, I only smoked a few a day. “I continued smoking for years and then in 2018, I was drinking water and some of it came out of my nose.
I knew something wasn’t right, so I went to get help. “I was referred to see a specialist at the dental hospital, who told me I had cancer and that it was serious, and I needed to have an urgent MRI scan and biopsy. "A week later I was diagnosed with Stage 4 (palliative care) mouth cancer and the doctor told me I had a choice – to decide to have the operation within a month or die.
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