A MAN who complained of “breathing pain” has been left without his nose and a hole in his face after being diagnosed with cancer.
William Brogan, 47, was diagnosed with lymphoma in January after experiencing nose pain for more than a year.
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body.
Despite multiple doctors’ appointments, William says he was simply given antibiotics which didn’t improve things.
He then had an initial biopsy in September 2024 which came back inconclusive.
Eventually after another round of unsuccessful antibiotics and pain breathing through his nose, William was given another biopsy in January which revealed a type of facial lymphoma.
The cancer had spread from William’s nose into his mouth, and he was told he’d need surgery.
He then underwent a 20-hour surgery to remove the cancer – which involved having his nose and upper gum removed – as well as making sure there was no cancer in his neck.
In the same operation, surgeons attempted to rebuild the gum using healthy tissue from under his arm – but it didn’t work, as the muscles in his mouth didn’t take to it.
William then had a second five-hour operation to remove parts of the graft and address his gum, before a third 12-hour operation which saw his surgeons rebuild his upper mouth by taking a skin graft from his arm and muscle from his waist.
He has since been undergoing radiotherapy, which is set to finish shortly, before work begins on reconstructing his nose.
William, a former chef from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, said: “I have never seen anybody else like this in my life.
“Diazepane [used to relieve symptoms of anxiety] is the thing that gives me the courage to go out.
“People say ‘there’s that man with the hole in his face’ “They’ve already taken a picture of my face, so they know what colour to make my nose.”
William claims he had told doctors for months that something was wrong with his nose.
He added: “I had been telling them for months and months that it was something more – you know your own body.
“Now I’ve got a hole in my face and a triangle where they removed part of my nose.”
He believes the cancer could have been caught earlier before it spread further around his neck and face.
I had been telling them for months and months that it was something more – you know your own body
William Brogan
William said: “It took them over a year to get a biopsy and find it was cancer.
“They could have caught this nine month earlier before it travelled into my mouth.
“The doctors didn’t know what it was – they gave me antibiotics to keep on top of it, but it wasn’t getting better.
“I just had a sore nose.
“I kept asking for antibiotics and another appointment took weeks to get.
“The antibiotics were helping at first but when I asked for more help I had to wait for an appointment.
“It got worse in that time waiting.”
William is now hoping the radiotherapy has done enough to keep the cancer at bay so he can focus on rebuilding his face.
He said: “I’m hoping to have a skin graft to try and rebuild my face within the year.
“I finished with radiotherapy which I’ve been having for six weeks on Wednesday (18/06).
“I can’t thank the surgeons enough; they saved my life.”
What are the signs of lymphoma?
LYMPHOMA is a term for cancer that starts in the lymph system - a network of vessels and glands that spans your body.
There are two main kinds of lymphoma – Hodgkin Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Lymphoma can cause many different symptoms, depending on which type of lymphoma it is and where it develops in the body.
The most typical signs are:
- Swollen lymph nodes, such as in the neck, armpit or groin area
- Night sweats
- Extreme tiredness
- Itching
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fever
- Excessive bleeding, such as nosebleeds, heavy periods and spots of blood under the skin
Other signs of lymphoma in a more localised area include:
- Swelling of the stomach, loss of appetite and other abdominal symptoms
- Coughing, shortness of breath, or chest pain
