Gemma’s new tongue, reconstructed from tissue from her hand. (Representational image)
After an organ has been removed from your body after an accident or surgery, it is now extremely difficult to get it back, but with the help of new biological and medical techniques, it is sometimes achievable.
During serious cancer surgery, a British woman lost 90% of her tongue. However, once again his ability to talk defies the advice of experts.
According to Metro, Gemma Weeks, 37, said she had been having problems with her tongue for six years after a small white patch appeared on the edge. But in February this year, a huge hole developed, which was so painful that she could not eat. Gemma went to the doctor and was told she had stage 4 mouth and neck cancer and had immediate surgery.
The news outlet further reported that doctors told her that she would have to have most of her tongue removed and might not be able to speak again after reconstructing it using tissue grafts from her hand. But she defied their prediction when she managed to say ‘hello’ to her fiancee and daughter when they came to visit just days after surgery.
“Initially, after the operation, I couldn’t talk at all, and the doctors thought it would stay that way. The first word I said was “hello” when my fiancee and daughter came to visit me a few days later. Later,” Gemma said.
“It didn’t sound like me at all, but it was progress, which I’ve been working on ever since, and now people can actually understand me, mostly.”