|  | | - Register your HNC screening
- Sign up for the annual Move-A-Thon
- January Webinar - Body Image After HNC
- Program/service spotlight - resource directory
- New Blog Posts
- Meet our Ambassadors - Alyssa Fischer-Reeder
- Good News Corner - share your good news with us!
- News & Shorts - articles, podcasts, and more
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| 2026 PROGRAMS - LET'S GET STARTED! |
|  | HOST A SCREENING For more than 20 years, the Alliance has partnered with organizations around the world to raise awareness and save lives through community health screenings focused on early detection and education about head and neck cancer. You can host a screening during April’s Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month or at any time of year. We provide free educational and promotional materials. You provide the staff and volunteers. We make it simple to get involved. |
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 | READY, SET, MOVE! Our annual Move-A-Thon event is "kicking" off this month. We encourage you to think about how you want to "move" with us (you decide - it could be running, walking, playing with your kids - whatever you want and feel capable of doing).
Consider if you want to start your team, join an existing team, or help us raise funds and awareness on your own. April is Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month and we would love you to MOVE with us!
Note: We host drop-in meetings to help with questions about starting or managing a team, or with registration. Full details are on our website. Next meeting: Sat, Jan 17, 12 p.m. ET |
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| JANUARY WEBINAR - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN |
| | BEYOND APPEARANCE: BODY IMAGE AFTER HEAD & NECK CANCER 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.
January 20, 2026 - 6pm ET
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| | | SEARCHABLE RESOURCE DIRECTORY When people reach out to us, they often have questions that fall outside what we can directly provide. Help paying bills. Dental care. Mental health support. Transportation. Everyday living challenges that come with head and neck cancer. Those needs are real, and they don’t fit neatly into one program or one organization. Our Resource Directory exists for that reason. It’s a practical list of aligned organizations that offer support in specific areas. You can search by topic or by location if you need help where you live. It’s not exhaustive, and it’s not a guarantee, but it’s a solid place to start when you’re stuck or don’t know who to call next. We won’t always be the right resource for every situation. This directory is one way we try to make sure you still have somewhere to turn. |
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| |  | NEW YEAR: NEW NORMAL?
January often brings pressure to reset and move on. For people impacted by head and neck cancer, recovery rarely works that way. This post looks at why “new normal” doesn’t fit for many survivors, how lasting side effects affect daily life, and ways to release the pressure to be back to who you were before treatment. Healing continues long after treatment ends and that’s not failure. |
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 | THE HEALING POWER OF A HUG
Feel like words aren’t enough sometimes? A hug can speak for you. For people facing a head and neck cancer journey, a hug can lower stress, ease pain, boost mood, and show support without saying a thing. Read more in our latest blog post written by the late Dr. Itzak Brook, who lost his battle with head and neck cancer a year ago. |
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| | Alyssa Fischer-Reeder
Wife & Mother | Founder, Head and Neck Cancer Fund | Survivor of Stage IV Tongue Cancer |
| | In 2002, Alyssa Fischer-Reeder received devastating news; she faced an aggressive tongue cancer diagnosis that led to a 14.5-hour surgery to remove her tumor and reconstruct her tongue, followed by six grueling months of radiation and chemotherapy with multiple complications and hospital stays. She fought hard to relearn how to swallow, speak, eat, and laugh again. After treatment, Alyssa completed her education, earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, with her thesis focused on the “power of hope.” She went on to work in health nonprofits and teaching before founding The Head and Neck Cancer Fund in 2019 to offer financial support to patients. She has raised awareness through blogging and media appearances and won the 2020 Patient of Courage Award. Today, Alyssa lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and two children. She continues to support the head and neck cancer community through advocacy, education, and patient-focused initiatives. |
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| | | SHARE YOUR GOOD NEWS! We want to celebrate the wins in our community, big or small. Finished treatment, joined an awareness event, welcomed a grandchild, or reached a personal milestone? We’d love to share your good news. This is open to patients, survivors, caregivers, and medical professionals. Email your story and a photo, and tell us what you’re celebrating. By submitting, you give us permission to share it in our newsletter or on social media. We can’t publish every submission. Send your good news to hello@headandneck.org. |
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|  | CONGRATULATIONS LAURA In this announcement, civil rights organization LDF names longtime nonprofit leader and attorney Laura Kadetsky as its new Chief Operations Officer and General Counsel. The release highlights her background in litigation and education equity, her commitment to advancing racial justice, and her track record in strengthening mission-driven organizations. It also notes her role as an Alliance Ambassador with the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, underscoring how her professional expertise and advocacy experience intersect in this new leadership position. |
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 | ED KING SHARES HIS STORY In this article, head and neck cancer survivor Ed King, an Alliance Ambassador, shares how his own diagnosis led him to become a national advocate for others. He talks about building a survivor-led support group, using lived experience to shape cancer care, and why survivor voices matter in research and community outreach. It’s a clear look at how one person turned treatment and recovery into long-term impact, and why that perspective belongs at the table. |
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| | MONTHLY GIVING - DONATE TODAY Start the year with hope. Monthly giving provides steady, year-round support for people affected by head and neck cancer.
Your monthly recurring gift helps sustain - education
- survivorship resources
- patient support every month
With your support, we can continue to help individuals and families find help when they need it. Join our Monthly Giving Community today! |
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| | US vs. HPV Week
Us vs HPV Week runs from January 26 to January 30, 2026. It's a free, virtual series of webinars and events to boost awareness of HPV and HPV-related disease prevention and care.
You can join live sessions each day to learn from experts and communities working on vaccination, education, screening, equity, and support.
On Thursday, January 29, our Executive Director, Amanda Hollinger, presents in the session on support and empowerment for people living with HPV-related cancers. Register online and tune in each day to participate in webinars and interactive Q&A |
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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 website, 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! |
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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 | hello@headandneck.org |
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