About Derek

Derek worked in sales for a tractor and combine harvester manufacturer so spent many years travelling round the country for work.

Derek has taken part in various research studies aiming to improve the way patients with head and neck cancer are treated or rehabilitated. He was particularly interested in taking part in IMPRESSeD to find out whether digital manufacturing technology could help improve patient care.

My journey first started when I noticed a little mole on the left side of my nose. This was found to be a desmoplastic melanoma, a rare skin cancer.

During treatment, I was living in Ripon, North Yorkshire and had to travel to Leeds up to three times a week.

When the cancer was removed, the surgeons tried to reconstruct the missing tissue using skin from my forehead. It failed and I was left with a hole on the side of my nose which connected to the inside of my mouth.

For a couple of years, I wore a large, white plaster over the area. It was quite conspicuous and sometimes even slipped off. I wanted to find a better solution but thought there was nothing they could do.

It wasn’t until I saw the Restorative Dentistry and Maxillofacial Prosthetist teams at the Leeds Dental Institute that I was told there was a solution.

I was quite impressed with the number of people involved and how they came up with options to try to improve things. Together, we decided to make an obturator and a facial prosthesis.

An obturator is a bit like a denture and replaces some of my top teeth but also seals the hole in my upper jaw. The facial prosthesis is removable silicone and sits on the outside of my face, covering the hole by my nose. Both are connected using magnets to keep them in place.

The facial prosthesis was a big improvement to the white plaster. If I was walking down the street, people wouldn’t notice it. Though more recently, I’ve been having some issues.

My obturator has slipped, and it can be difficult to get the magnet in the right place, so the facial prosthesis won’t stay in position. I realise prostheses will only last so long before they need to be replaced because my face will change.

I’m now having another obturator made with a slightly higher magnet, and a new facial prosthesis, which I think will be much better.

“Having a prosthesis has been life changing.”

I’ve been involved in a few studies relating to my cancer, including a drugs study. When I was invited to join a study testing two ways of making facial prostheses, I thought I had nothing to lose, and I could only gain. It’s wonderful what they can do with 3D printers these days.

I was initially impressed with the prostheses. Both looked good but were very different. For a while, I thought the one made through digital technology was better because of its shape. But since I’m having problems with my obturator, the prosthesis is currently sitting too low down and has become more noticeable.

Being involved in research has been no hardship and I would encourage others to get involved.

Overall, I’ve got a positive attitude to life. I always think on the good side, rather than the bad side as there’s always somebody worse off than me.

“There’s usually a solution to a problem.”

My doctors have shrunk my tumours and there have been no signs of recurrence in the last two years. I’ve only had one dip when I had a heart attack and was diagnosed with COVID-19 and Type 2 diabetes last year. Within half an hour though, I was back thinking positively.

My paintings have been made to represent my prosthesis story. I’d like other patients to know that there’s usually a solution to a problem and that facial prostheses are available. While the processes can take some time, having a prosthesis has been life changing.