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Saving FaceSTORY BY

Jade Waddy

 

Saving Face

His cancer could be removed—at a terrible cost.
Three surgeons, one clinic and two hospitals
would restore his life and face—at no cost.

When Steven Cantrell, 43, noticed a “small blister” on his lip, he thought it would go away within a few days. Several years later the blackened and graveled lesion had grown to cover his entire lower lip. During a trip to the emergency room, Cantrell was diagnosed with cancer, but never pursued treatment because he knew he couldn't pay for it. 

Humiliated by his own appearance and unable to find work, Cantrell was convinced he would live the rest of his life disfigured by the cancer. “It was difficult going out looking for jobs because of all of the stares I would receive,” says Cantrell, “So, without a job I wasn’t able to afford treatment.”

Cantrell, a smoker since age 10, was unable to do the simple things such as brush his teeth or even smile and ultimately resigned himself to his appearance. “I would stay indoors more and more as the lesion continued to grow because I didn’t want to keep getting weird looks,” Cantrell says.

One fall morning, all that changed. Cantrell lined up for a free day of medical care in Houston sponsored by The Dr. Oz Show, where he was seen by volunteer ear, nose and throat physicians Ron Karni, MD and Tang Ho, MD, otorhinolaryngologists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

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