A man from Blackpool who was diagnosed with mouth cancer has revealed the unusual warning sign in his teeth that everyone should know about.

Meat Loaf tribute act Peter Young believes that, in a way, the ‘Bat Out of Hell’ singer saved his life from beyond the grave.

The American singer – born as Marvin Lee Aday – died at the age of 74 on 20 January, 2022, with no official cause of death released to the public.

Peter on stage (SWNS)

Peter, 67, was asked to pay tribute to him on the BBC, and looking back at interview footage, he noticed that he had an unusual gap in his teeth.

He said: “I wouldn’t have checked, I never went to the dentist often enough. It’s a bit of a lesson for everyone, that.

“I saw the video later on the news, and because I was getting old I’d lost a few teeth over the years, and there was a gap at the bottom of my mouth, I didn’t think anyone could see it.”

Seven months later, the singer – who plays around the world – visited a dentist in Cyprus for implants, and when he got home, he was given the shock diagnosis of stage four mouth cancer in December 2022.

Peter was diagnosed with mouth cancer (SWNS)

Peter said: “Had Meat Loaf not died, I don’t think I’d be here any more.

“I wouldn’t have done the interview, and I wouldn’t have known. The likelihood is, I would have been dead.”

The doctor who diagnosed Peter said he wouldn’t be able to sing again, which ‘broke him’.

“I’ve been doing it for 30 years, it was my living. I was about to retire, but I would never retire from singing,” he added.

Meat Loaf performing in the late 70s (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Peter said that he was off work for ‘about 12 months’ following the 11-hour operation to remove his cancer, and was without teeth ‘for seven or eight months’.

“They had to fit implants, because they had to remove all the teeth in the mouth for the operation,” he said.

The rest of Peter’s teeth have now been replaced with implants and, thankfully, he is back singing again and is now cancer-free.

To commemorate the third anniversary of Meat Loaf’s death, the tribute act has released a new song titled ‘January 20th’.

Peter said: “I need to pay my bills that have mounted up during lockdown and Covid and everything else.

“I wasn’t forced to carry on. I’ll sing ‘til I drop, whilst I can still do it I’m gonna still do it.

“Meat Loaf’s not the easiest to do, but it seems to be my niche.”

A man has bravely told how he was forced to have his penis amputated after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

While recovering from a heart attack, Shaun Evans explained that he noticed what appeared to be a ‘bad bruise’ on his manhood in June 2022 – and although he initially shrugged this off, further symptoms then soon began to arise.

The 55-year-old, from Wolverhampton, started to grow concerned when he spotted blood while showering, as well as something which resembled a ‘cold sore’ at the base of his penis.

He raised his worries with the doctor who was treating him for his other health woes which had taken place earlier that year, who referred him to a specialist so that a biopsy could be taken.

But because Shaun was on blood thinning medications following his heart attack, he ended up having to wait several months for it – while his symptoms continued to worsen.

Discussing the signs he noticed, he explained: “I started feeling uncomfortable. There was a soreness down below. It was like a bad bruise. In July, I was bathing in the shower. I noticed a bit of watered down blood.

“It was coming from my penis. I was a bit startled – I was alarmed.”

Shaun Evans noticed what appeared to be a ‘bad bruise’ on his manhood in June 2022. (SWNS)

He recalled how he then ended up in so much pain that he simply couldn’t walk, resulting in him calling 999 and being rushed to hospital, shortly before medics informed him of his diagnosis.

“The swelling had turned into a big lump, it was horrible,” Shaun explained. “I could just shuffle.”

The Brit was then told that he had penile cancer – which, according to the NHS, is a rare form of the disease that is most common in men over 50 and usually affects the skin of the penis and the foreskin.

Although some patients can receive non-surgical treatments depending on the severity of their condition, doctors left Shaun devastated after they told him he needed to have his penis amputated.

“I thought, ‘How the hell is this going to return to normal?’ I was obviously gutted,” he said.

Two days before Christmas in 2022, Shaun underwent the life-changing operation which spanned five hours at the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham.

The former police support worker recalled how a consultant explained that she had no choice but to remove his manhood, as she told him: “I think I have got it all. I managed to retain what goes on beneath the surface.”

Despite being relieved that he had received treatment, Shaun says the time after his amputation was ‘the loneliest he had felt in his life’.

“It was just numbness. It can seriously effect masculinity,” he said. “I went through all the emotions. I thought ‘I’m a freak’, ‘no one is going to want you’.”

Then he told himself: “This is the new Shaun. People are going to accept you as you are.”

The 55-year-old opened up about his life-changing operation. (SWNS)

Shaun could potentially have penis reconstruction surgery in the future, however, patients have to be cancer-free for five years before doctors will perform the complex operation.

He has decided to share his story about learning to live without a penis in the hopes of inspiring others who might be in the same boat, while also raising awareness of penile cancer.

Shaun bravely spoke out about how he has had to adapt in a myriad of different ways – including sitting down while he urinates, as surgeons had to rearrange the position of his urethra, saying: “I go to the toilet like a lady.”

He now has a scan every three months to confirm that he is still cancer-free, but he is just glad to be out of pain.

Shaun added: “I’m taking it day by day. It’s the little things, like being able to sit.”

Although penile cancer is rare in the UK, with Cancer Research explaining there are around 760 new cases each year, experts reckon this number will spike to 1,100 every 12 months by 2038-2040.

The NHS urges men to look out for any growths, lumps or sores on the penis which don’t heal within four weeks, a rash, bleeding, a foul smelling discharge, difficulty drawing back your foreskin and a change of colour.

Other symptoms of penile cancer may include a lump in your groin, feeling tired, tummy pain and losing weight without trying – so keep an eye out, lads.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.

A British mum has revealed how having puffy eyes ended up being a symptom of a rare form of cancer.

Lizzie Spear, 56, had suffered with health issues for many years before her brutal cancer diagnosis. Aged 17, she was diagnosed with Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP), which is a rare blood disorder that makes your blood difficult to clot.

Then, at the age of 21, Lizzie had to have her spleen removed, with the professional musician very much used to life as an immunocompromised person.

Back in November 2020, mum-of-one Lizzie was then diagnosed with fibromyalgia; a chronic condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness in the body.

But it was in February the next year that Lizzie’s daughter, Lowri, began worrying about her mum’s health even more so after she endured another bout of ill health.

“At that time, Lowri was studying from home due to Covid preventing her from going to uni in person,” Lizzie, who lives in Bramshall, Uttoxeter, said.

“I’ve always been a poorly person, but she spotted I had big bags under my eyes – they were huge – so she said to go to the GP about.

“I said no it’s nothing, but she insisted. I owe my daughter an awful lot.”

Lizzie had bags under her eyes and didn’t know why (Lizzia Spear / Leukaemia UK)

The feeling from doctors was that Lizzie had been suffering an allergic reaction to morphine patches she was using to treat her fibromyalgia.

To be safe, blood tests were conducted to see if anything else was going on behind the scenes.

Two week later, medics in Burton-on-Trent rang to say there was an anomaly with her blood results and to expect a call from Derby Royal Infirmary.

Lizzie said: “They phoned me the same day to say I needed an urgent bone marrow biopsy. I went straight to the hospital, and they told me I had leukaemia.

“They said they would need to send me to Nottingham City Hospital the next day where they carried out the bone marrow biopsy.”

Lizzie with her daughter and fiancé (Lizzie Spear / Leukaemia UK)

It was on 3 March, 2021 that Lizzie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL); something that was a ‘huge shock’ to her and her loved ones.

Looking back at her health before the diagnosis, Lizzie revealed she had been suffering from night sweats that she had ‘put down to menopause’. She was also ‘always fatigued’ and had some bruises ‘but nothing like’ when she was diagnosed with ITP. All these are symptoms of leukaemia, the NHS says.

“As soon as they mentioned the bone marrow biopsy warning bells started ringing for me – after having a previous blood disorder, I knew this might be bad,” she said.

“My fiancé John and I both work in the music industry and during Covid we had lost all our work, which was devastating. We also had to cancel our wedding plans. So, we were already dealing with that, and I had been shielding for a year. But I’m a pretty tough cookie, and initially I just took the diagnosis in my stride. It was almost more devastating for my immediate family.”

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a rare cancer where excess white blood cell precursors called lymphoblasts form in the bone marrow (Getty Stock Images)

Lizzie spent eight weeks in Nottingham City Hospital having two rounds of chemotherapy. She was then told she would need a stem cell transplant to achieve full remission from her leukaemia. The transplant came from her own daughter, who donated stem cells on two occasions.

In an awful turn of events, her cancer returned in November 2023. Lizzie said: “The puffy eyes came back on holiday, but I dismissed it as too many cocktails and not enough sleep. I didn’t think the leukaemia was back.”

She was told her only chance of survival was a new therapy called CAR-T.

Lizzie said: “They said that it would depend on being accepted for treatment by the NHS Cancer Drugs Fund panel. Outpatient chemo started again between November and February 2024 which was a 100-mile round trip. And then I became really unwell.

“I lost the sight in one eye, was having regular falls, and had painful peripheral neuropathy in my lower limbs and feet which made mobility impossible, so I needed a wheelchair. The final straw came when John was away, and I slept for 36 hours, only waking to hear my mum hammering on the front door. I was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with a severe reaction to intrathecal methotrexate.”

Lizzie is raising money for Leukaemia UK (JustGiving)

Lizzie’s chemotherapy was terminated, but the good news was the Cancer Drugs Fund approved her for CAR-T, and in February last year, her T-cells were collected.

She is now recovering at home and has progressed from her wheelchair to a rollator to just a walking stick, although she still has peripheral neuropathy. Lizzie is also back in remission as of August 2024.

“Overall, I am taking one day at a time. We still don’t know what the data is – CAR-T is still fairly new so I am the data! So, it’s a case of seizing the day. I’m taking one day at a time because nothing in life is certain,” she said.

For more details about charity Leukaemia UK, visit leukaemiauk.org.uk. Lizzie’s fundraising page is available on JustGiving here.

A man who was diagnosed with a deadly lung cancer says he almost ignored one subtle sign of it.

Malcolm Ledgar initially brushed off his health concerns because he believed his respiratory system was in full working order as he had regular X-rays on it.

However, after noticing one strange and persistent symptom, the former builder decided to raise his concerns with his GP and discovered that he has mesothelioma, which is a type of cancer which develops in the lining that covers the outer surface of some of our organs, which in Malcom’s case, was his lungs.

According to the NHS, the incurable disease which more than 2,700 people are diagnosed with each year in the UK is usually linked to asbestos exposure.

Malcolm, who lives in Nottingham, revealed that he was regularly exposed to the toxic fibres – which can get stuck in the lungs and cause serious damage – during his days in the building game.

Malcolm Ledgar, 64, revealed that he nearly ignored a subtle symptom of the cancer (PA Real Life)

He said he first started working for a Cheshire-based firm as an apprentice joiner at the age of 15 and frequently worked with asbestos as at the time ‘nobody knew how bad’ it was.

The 64-year-old explained: “In the 70s and 80s, you always got the rough jobs in your first year as an apprentice. You were always knocking walls down or doing repairs. In those days, nobody knew about how bad asbestos was, there was no personal protection equipment or anything like that. I remember working with it, but I was definitely not aware of the damage.”

Malcolm left the company behind after around eight years, but he claims it’s the only point in time that he could ‘pinpoint’ being exposed to asbestos.

The father explained that one of his former colleagues later passed away from suspected asbestosis, and following the passing of his ex-work pal, Malcolm began to get regular X-rays on his lungs to confirm they were healthy.

“It always stuck in the back of my mind,” he said, However, the check-ups slipped his mind when he moved from Cheshire to Nottingham in 2009 and changed GPs.

After talking to his wife about the ‘old days’, he eventually underwent another X-ray in March 2023 which came back clear, however, the grandad then noticed a strange symptom in September last year.

“It started with a little ache under my right rib, just an annoying ache,” Malcolm said, explaining he checked in with his GP who fast-tracked him for an X-ray at Nottingham City Hospital.

The former builder was then informed he also needed a CT scan too due to some ‘concerns’ about his lungs.

It was later confirmed that Malcolm has malignant mesothelioma in the lining of his lung, seeing him begin immunotherapy treatment on 7 January.

The dad wants to make the most of every last second he has left (PA Real Life)

“There’s no cure for it and it’s covering my right lung at the moment,” Malcolm said. “I’ve not dug into it too deeply, I’ve not gone into detail just yet and I’ve not really asked what stage it might be.”

He has urged any fellow tradies who worked in the industry in the 70s and 80s not to ignore anything their bodies might be trying to tell them.

“If you feel any aches or you’ve taken in dust particles, ask for a check-up and say you feel something is wrong. If you feel any inkling something is wrong, ask for an X-ray – only you know your own body.” he said. “I could place blame and be angry with the world, but it’s not going to achieve anything. Why not be happy with the world and just enjoy what time I’ve got?”

Malcolm describes himself as a ‘very positive person’ and explained he isn’t letting his diagnosis get in the way of anything, as he said: “It’s not going to affect me personally, I’m booking holidays and making plans.”

He is set to enjoy a mega-family cruise for May this year, with his wife, Nicola, their children and grandchildren, while throwing a party on 1 February to ‘celebrate’ his life with his loved ones.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by Malcolm to raise money for two charities – East Midlands Asbestos Support Team (EMAST) and Mesothelioma UK – who have supported him.