Nightclub worker complained of ‘toothache’ for weeks, diagnosed with cancer

A nightclub worker who complained of pain in her mouth near her wisdom teeth for weeks was diagnosed with cancer.

Roisin O’Leary first felt a lump after being gripped with a pain in his mouth in September, and dentists pulled out four troublesome wisdom teeth in an attempt to fix the issue.

But after 12 weeks of antibiotics, the pain had not gone away, so the 29-year-old had a biopsy and a CT scan to further explore the problem.

Four days after those scans in January, she was told the pain was actually caused by a cancerous and fatal lump on her jaw, Daily Record reports.

Roisin has now embarked on a grueling six-month journey involving chemotherapy, bone reconstruction, skin grafts and oral tissue reconstruction.

Doctors have told her that intensive treatment – which includes cutting out part of her jaw and replacing it with part of her leg bone – may cure her condition.

Roisin, from Gallowhill, Paisley, Scotland, said: “The jawbone is such a rare place to have this type of cancer, so it wasn’t even considered a possibility at first.

“But obviously there was a suspicion that something was wrong and I went for a biopsy and a CT scan in January.

“Four days later, they told me the lump was cancerous and my chemo started on March 4.”

She is now hospitalized at the Beatson Cancer Center in Glasgow and has trimmed her long, curly locks before they fall out.

Roisin, who has worked at Club 69 and the UWS Student Union, receives different doses of chemotherapy up to five a week and is allowed to go home on weekends.

She will soon have an operation to remove the cancer, and this will be followed by an additional 10 weeks of chemotherapy to make sure the cancer is eradicated.

She said: “I will need three weeks in the hospital to recover from the operation, which will take place in May. Part of the bone in my leg – the fibula – will be removed and put in place to rebuild my jawbone.

“I will also need skin grafts and tissue inside my mouth. It really changed my life. Doctors consider my case to be curable, however intense the treatment may be.

“It will be around December when I hope I’m in the clear. I like to be standing and pretty much so all of this sitting right now is a nightmare. I am not the most patient of people. “

Roisin recalls that it was about six months after the introduction of Covid restrictions that she noticed the size of a pea on her jaw.

“I just thought it was because of the wisdom teeth that hadn’t been removed and there was an infection,” she said.

“The four wisdom teeth were taken out, but the lump did not disappear. It looked like a swollen gland or lymph node and was not visible to anyone looking at me.

“But it became more visible, it was to the right of my lower jaw. “We tried all the routes and the hospital thought it was some kind of infection.

“I ended up taking antibiotics for 12 weeks, which obviously didn’t do anything for me.”

Roisin’s mother, Aileen McCreadie, and several friends have supported her throughout the process, although she receives care at the Beatson Cancer Center in Glasgow, visits are limited and Facetime is used to keep in touch.

Roisin said, “During chemotherapy, I really need to isolate and protect. Once the lock is lifted, all I ask is to be able to see visitors again.

“I know I won’t go out to pubs or meet friends, but just a visitor would make me happy and help relieve the isolation.

“I rely on a lot of Facetime with Mom to keep me going.”

Next year, when she turns 30, Roisin plans to pursue her travel dreams and her sister Robyn has created a gofundme page to help her pay as she has no income.

So far over £ 5,000 has been raised. To visit the page, go to www.gofund.me/6178a783.