Woman who found an ulcer in her mouth told it was ‘nothing’ before finding out devastating truth

A woman discovered an ulcer in her mouth, only to find out that it was something much worse.

Saskia Rogers was 16 at the time, living in Hobart, Tasmania and attending school.

One day, she scanned the roof of her mouth in boredom, only to find a strange patch of skin was being brushed by her tongue.

At the time, she didn’t think much of it, but over time it grew in size, to around the size of a pea.

The teen became uneasy with the bump and during an appointment with her GP for an illness, she decided to bring up her ulcer issue.

She told him that the ‘unusual’ lump ‘never went away’, and while she was told to monitor it, it didn’t raise any 'immediate concerns' for her.

Saskia Rogers was 16 when she noticed a lump in her mouth (Family Handout)

However, just one year later, Rogers became aware that the small bump has now 'quadrupled in size', and was painful with a 'bright purple appearance'.

But again, the GP told her that it was 'likely nothing' and advised that it wasn’t cancer and it didn’t need to be removed, but if she wanted to be considered for an elective surgery, she could choose to have it taken out.

She said to the Daily Mail: “My GP agreed it was unusual, stating it was likely nothing but decided to refer us to a specialist surgeon just in case.

“At the specialist's direction, we followed up with CT scans where I was told it was a benign lump with no malignant properties.

“It was unexpected to hear that the lump did not need to be removed, and I remember being taken off guard when I was given the option for an elective surgery.

“My parents are incredibly supportive, and they said they would back me through the surgery if it was affecting my day-to-day life - a choice that may well have saved my life.”

It was after this procedure that she was then diagnosed with oral cancer.

The teen was told that it was benign (Family Handout)

The teen, who had been ‘studying hard and focusing on school with the dream of heading into medicine’ was suddenly thrown into a world that she didn’t know.

While she used to have ‘lots of friends’, those she was closest to would leave her after they realised that they couldn’t relate to her cancer battle.

Explaining what life was like before her cancer was found, Rogers believes that there were clues.

She said that she would be struck down with common bugs which could take an ‘abnormal’ length of time to clear up, saying: “I would get fatigued earlier than my peers - signs that my immune system was preoccupied.

“Naturally, in the height of Year 11 and in my busy schedule it was nothing that seemed particularly remarkable, rather just something that happened to me.”

Rogers had to undergo three major surgeries, including a mouth reconstruction, which stopped her from being able to talk as she had a hole in her mouth.

It was oral cancer (Family Handout)

Her battle affected everything, including her social life at school.

She explained: “I realised my peers didn't understand what I was going through.

“My friends and peers didn't know what to say. There was nothing they could say that would make it easier or help get rid of the horrible emotions I was feeling. And so, friendships became hard.

“I was weird for being unable to talk, 'disgusting' for bleeding in class. Many of my peers only saw my experiences at school and failed to take the time to empathise with my situation.

“It was confronting to watch, but more so when you are living it.”

That’s when her mum suggested she join the youth cancer charity Canteen.

Rogers stated: “No one understood what I had gone through... But in Canteen, I met people that for the first time understood.”

Now, at 20, she’s a youth ambassador for the group and is currently waiting to start nursing in February 2025.