 | | FEATURED IN DECEMBER 2025 |
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| - Gift of hope - end of year giving
- Jan webinar - register today
- Navigating holidays and food
- 2025 In Memoriam
- Meet our Ambassadors - this month, Ryan Gainor
- Good news corner
- News & Shorts
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| |  | As the year comes to a close, many people take time to reflect and make charitable gifts before December 31. For individuals and families facing head and neck cancer, this support matters right now. I greatly appreciate all your foundation is doing for those of us who tend to lose hope and the ability to see past the end of one day at a time. Thank you for all you do. - Rebecca Z. Your year-end gift helps provide trusted resources, education, and support to people navigating diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. When you give before the end of the year, you help sustain this work and offer the gift of hope to those who need it most. If head and neck cancer has touched your life or the life of someone you love, this is a powerful moment to give back. A gift made by December 31 is tax-deductible and ensures your impact carries into the year ahead. Thank you for helping us end the year by giving hope and start the next one stronger together. |
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| | FREE WEBINAR - BEYOND APPEARANCE: BODY IMAGE AFTER HNC
JAN. 20 | 6PM ET Treatment for head and neck cancer often alters how survivors look and feel about themselves. This webinar will bring together medical professionals and a survivor to discuss the impact of these changes on body image and self-esteem—and how to move toward confidence, acceptance, and healing. Join us for an open and empowering discussion on seeing yourself beyond cancer. PANEL:
Krupal Patel M.D, M.Sc, FRCS(C), FACS
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Evan Graboyes, MD, MPH
Medical University of South Carolina Lynn Kim Jeong, OTD, OTR/L
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Ambassador Survivor
Terry Healey
Survivor of Maxillary Fibrosarcoma |
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| FEATURED - ALLIANCE WEBSITE RECIPE DATABASE |
| |  | Struggling to find recipes that work for your needs after head and neck cancer? Our Recipe Finder lets you sort meals by type and texture (coming soon) so you can find dishes that are easier to chew and swallow. Use the tool to:
• Pick the meal category you want (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks)
• Choose the texture that fits your needs (smooth, soft, minced, etc.)
• Discover recipes that match your preferences and eating goals Start exploring recipes that work for you. |
| | | NAVIGATING HOLIDAYS AND FOOD For many people impacted by head and neck cancer, the holidays can be hard. Cooking, eating, and sharing meals often change after treatment. Taste changes, dry mouth, swallowing issues, fatigue, or pain can make foods that once felt comforting feel stressful instead. Add in the social pressure around holiday meals, and it can be isolating. We have two recorded webinars (from prior years) that focus on this exact challenge. They address both the practical and emotional sides of holiday cooking and eating after head and neck cancer. These recordings cover: -
Holiday foods that are easier to eat and modify -
Simple recipes and texture adjustments -
Nutrition tips to support healing and energy -
Ways to handle social situations when eating is difficult -
A guided holiday cooking demonstration you can follow along with or just watch If the holidays feel complicated this year, these sessions may help you feel more prepared and less alone. |
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| | | | |  | BOB CANCALOSI It is with both heavy hearts and deep gratitude that we remember Robert T. (Bob) Cancalosi, a dedicated Head and Neck Cancer Alliance Ambassador, who passed away on June 20, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. Bob’s journey through head and neck cancer was marked not by defeat, but by an unwavering celebration of life and a commitment to lifting others along the way. |
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 | DR. ITZHAK BROOK The Head & Neck Cancer Alliance mourns the loss of Dr. Itzhak Brook, a cherished member of our Board of Directors and a devoted ambassador for the HNC community. After a long battle with esophageal and metastatic pancreatic cancer, Dr. Itzhak Brook passed away on January 10th, 2025, peacefully with his family by his side. |
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| | | RYAN GAINOR
Lawyer, Husband & Father | Stage IV Tongue Cancer Survivor |
| Ryan is a lawyer living in Rhode Island with his wife. His life took an unexpected turn when a routine discomfort led to a diagnosis of tongue cancer. After noticing persistent pain and a visible change, Ryan sought medical care and was quickly referred for further evaluation. Treatment began soon after. The months that followed were intense. Ryan underwent surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Along the way, complications led to hospital stays and required additional support, including the use of a feeding tube. Recovery was slow and uneven, and progress came gradually rather than all at once. Looking back, Ryan is open about how difficult that period was. He also points to the steady support he received from his medical team, family, and friends as a critical part of getting through treatment and recovery. Those relationships played a central role during the hardest moments, even as long-term effects still surface at times. Today, Ryan remains actively involved with the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance. He serves as an ambassador and is also a member of the Board of Directors, helping guide the organization’s mission and programs. |
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| | This NPR article tells the story of Alliance Ambassador Sonya Sotinsky, whose advanced HNC treatment required the removal of her tongue and voice box, leaving her unable to speak. Facing a future without her own voice, she recorded hours of her speech before surgery and later used generative AI to recreate a voice that sounds like her original one, including her natural inflection and personality. READ THE ARTICLE |
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| | | Recently, Alliance Ambassador Stef Gayhart joined our friends at the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable to participate in a webinar titled "2025 Rural HPV Vaccination Learning Community - Facts Over Fear: Busting HPV Vaccine Myths." WATCH THE WEBINAR |
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| | SHARE YOUR GOOD NEWS
We want to celebrate the wins in our community — big or small! Whether you’ve finished treatment, joined an awareness event, run a marathon, gotten married, become a grandparent, or accomplished something else meaningful, we’d love to share your good news. This invitation is open to patients, survivors, caregivers, and medical professionals. Email us your story along with a photo, and let us know what milestone or accomplishment you’re celebrating. Send your good news (and photo) to: [email protected] |
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| SCREENING PROGRAM Are you already planning your 2026 screening/awareness event? If so, register your event here. More details on this program in January. |
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| | |  | US VS HPV GLOBAL WEBINAR This January, make plans to join the Alliance's Executive Director, Amanda Hollinger, for her US vs HPV presentation, "The Role of Patient Advocacy in HPV Prevention.
There are several days worth of presentations, but you can Join Amanda on January 29th at noon. Find out more and register using the button below. |
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| - NEWS: Dave Coulier of Full House fame, reveals HNC diagnosis on the Today Show
Click the link to watch the video
- NEWS: Head and Neck Cancer: VA Dietitian Advocates Whole Foods Over Supplements
While Leneweaver said many patients will need supplements, she stressed these products “are meant to supplement the diet and not be the sole source of nutrition, ideally.” Encouraging the intake of whole foods “is really key to make the transition back to solid foods after they’re done with treatment.
- NEWS: She cares for her aging parents full time. That requires taking care of herself too.
A huge number of today's 65-year-olds will likely need some kind of long-term care as they age, whether it's in-home care, assisted living or a nursing home. Those services can easily cost more each year than what the average American makes.
- NEWS: Previous trials have shown that a one-dose regimen of the HPV vaccine may be as effective as two- and three-dose regimens
“so it’s not surprising that we're seeing such high levels of what they're calling prevention against persistent infection, which we know is a necessary step to get to cervical cancer,” says Einstein.
Previous trials have shown that a one-dose regimen of the HPV vaccine may be as effective as two- and three-dose regimens, “so it’s not surprising that we're seeing such high levels of what they're calling prevention against persistent infection, which we know is a necessary step to get to cervical cancer,” says Einstein. |
| | FEATURED POSTS FROM OUR SPONSORS & PARTNERS |
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| Our work would not be possible without our sponsors and partners. Please see below to learn more about our partners and the clinical trials that are underway to help head and neck cancer patients. For more information about clinical trials and where to find trials that might apply to you or a loved one, visit our Clinical Trial Finder or click on any of the trial opportunities below. Featured Clinical trials are meant to provide educational information about trials and not endorse any particular trial. |
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| | | REVIEW US ON GOOGLE!
If our programs and materials have made a difference to you, please consider reviewing us on Google.
Your review will help make us more visible so other patients, survivors, and caregivers can easily find us while searching online!
To write a review, you'll need to sign up for a free Gmail account. |
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| | PICTURE THIS!
We're looking for pictures of real people to use on our new website (coming soon), brochures, and social media. We don't want to use boring stock photos! Your photos could provide hope and inspiration to others going through head and neck cancer!
If we use your photo, we'll send you some Alliance "swag" (featuring our new logo that we will unveil soon) and provide photo credit on our website and social media.
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| | | | | DO YOU FOLLOW? Are you following us on social media? It's just one more way to keep up to date with what is going on with us as well as other head and neck cancer related news and opportunities. So pick your favorite platform and give us a follow!
Facebook | Twitter* | LinkedIn | Instagram
*also known as X
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| *Statement on Sponsor Content and Corporate Support: The information published on this website and in our materials is intended to educate you about Oral, Head and Neck Cancer. The content is not intended to take the place of a discussion with a qualified physician who is familiar with your medical situation. It is important to remember that each individual is different, and the reasons for—and outcomes of—any treatment plan depends on the patient's individual condition. If you have questions or concerns after reading any information on this website or in our materials, you should discuss them openly and honestly with your physician. Any products and manufacturers included on this site are presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by HNCA. The content provided by HNCA is in no way intended to be a substitute for medical consultation with a qualified professional. HNCA encourages those using its resources to be careful when evaluating medical information or products. If you are unsure about your medical condition, consult a physician. Funding from our corporate partners supports HNCA’s programs and educational initiatives, and HNCA maintains independence in its design of programs, content, and initiatives. |
|  | | Be sure to add our email address to your address book or safe senders list so our emails get to your inbox. Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser |
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| Head & Neck Cancer Alliance
PO BOX 21688 | Charleston, South Carolina 29413
866-792-4622 | [email protected] |
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