I thought earache and jaw pain were an infection – but it was fast-spreading cancer known to eat away at people’s faces

WHEN Michelle Willard felt a marble-sized lump behind her right ear last September, cancer was the furthest thing from her mind. “I’d had a bit of pain on one side of my face, some inner ear discomfort, and jaw pain,” she said. Cover ImagesMichelle Willard put down her jaw lump, jaw pain and earache to an infection[/caption] Cover ImagesBut when her symptoms returned in April, scans revealed a mass in her salivary gland[/caption] Cover ImagesShe was later diagnosed with secretory carcinoma[/caption] “The next day, the lump seemed to move forward as if it was growing. “My doctor mentioned the word ‘lymphoma’ right away, which I thought was a total overreaction. “I was sure it was just an infection.” Her doctor prescribed antibiotics and suggested a scan if symptoms persisted. When the pain and numbness eased after a few days, Michelle felt reassured. But in April this year her symptoms r

General Sep 15, 2025 0 11 Add to Reading List

I thought earache and jaw pain were an infection – but it was fast-spreading cancer known to eat away at people’s faces

WHEN Michelle Willard felt a marble-sized lump behind her right ear last September, cancer was the furthest thing from her mind.

“I’d had a bit of pain on one side of my face, some inner ear discomfort, and jaw pain,” she said.

Michelle Willard put down her jaw lump, jaw pain and earache to an infection[/caption]

Michelle Willard and her husband Jim in a car.

But when her symptoms returned in April, scans revealed a mass in her salivary gland[/caption]

Woman in hospital gown with neck wound post-surgery.

She was later diagnosed with secretory carcinoma[/caption]

“The next day, the lump seemed to move forward as if it was growing.

“My doctor mentioned the word ‘lymphoma’ right away, which I thought was a total overreaction.

“I was sure it was just an infection.”

Her doctor prescribed antibiotics and suggested a scan if symptoms persisted.

When the pain and numbness eased after a few days, Michelle felt reassured.

But in April this year her symptoms returned – the lump on her was smaller this time, but the jaw pain made it difficult to eat, and the ear pain was back.

“I asked for another round of antibiotics,” Michelle, 51, says, “but my doctor told me to come in right away.”

A CAT scan revealed a mass in her salivary gland and a biopsy confirmed she had a cancerous tumour.

Within days, she was booked for major surgery to remove the tumour, the entire gland, and lymph nodes in her neck.

Though the cancer was stage 1, further testing revealed it was aggressive, with abnormal cells more likely to spread.

It wasn’t confirmed till after her surgery that Michelle had an extremely rare salivary gland cancer called secretory carcinoma, which is known to eat people’s faces away.

“They told me to prepare my friends and family, it would be an all-day surgery,” Michelle, from Peninsula, Ohio, said.

She was told that her ability to smile may be affected.

“The facial nerve runs straight through the parotid gland [the largest salivary gland].

Michelle Willard smiling before salivary gland cancer surgery.

Michelle just before she was due to undergo a painstaking operation to remove the tumour[/caption]

Woman in hospital bed recovering from salivary gland cancer surgery.

Michelle recovering in hospital afterwards[/caption]

Close-up of a woman's neck and jaw showing surgical incisions and bruising.

Surgeons removed the tumour, lymph nodes and salivary glands[/caption]

She had her face reconstructed with skin from her leg[/caption]

“If they couldn’t save it, I’d lose my smile forever.”

Michelle’s surgery was scheduled for July 31. Initially meant to take five hours, it took ten.

The tumour was attached to Michelle’s facial nerve and had to be carefully scraped away but surgeons were able to save the nerve.

They removed 60 to 70 per cent of her parotid gland, 23 lymph nodes in her neck, and all of her submandibular gland, a smaller salivary gland under the jaw.

Signs of salivary gland cancer

Salivary gland cancer is rare type of head and neck cancer.

The glands make spit to keep the mouth moist, protect teeth and help food slide down.

There are three main pairs of salivary glands:

Parotid glands, which are at the sides of the mouth, just in front of the ears
Submandibular glands, which are under each side of the jawbone
Sublingual glands, which are under the floor of the mouth and below each side of the tongue

The most common place for salivary gland cancer to start is in the parotid glands.

The most common symptom of salivary gland cancer is a swelling on the side of the face, just in front of the ear or under the jawbone.

With certain symptoms, your dentist or GP should refer you to see a specialist within two weeks. This is called an urgent referral.

Salivary gland cancer symptoms may include:

Swelling on the side of the face, just in front of the ear or under the jawbone – this is the most common symptom of salivary gland cancer
Numbness in part of your face
Pain where the swelling is
Earache
Drooping on one side of your face (facial palsy)
Difficulty opening your mouth fully
Redness over the skin of the gland.

These symptoms can be caused by other conditions. But it is important to have them checked by your doctor.

Source: Macmillan Cancer Support

Plastic surgeons also took a large section of tissue from her thigh to reconstruct her face.

“The incision on my thigh is about 10 inches long and four to five inches deep. That’s been far more painful than my neck or face,” Michelle said.

Michelle, who is owner and CEO of Heart Mind Soul Strength LLC, returned home five days after the operation and began a long period of recovery, helped by her husband Jim who says he is “in awe of her strength and grit.”

“My ear is numb, my smile is different, but it will get stronger,” she said.

“The neck and face part is a breeze, it’s the leg they didn’t prepare me for.”

Michelle actually met a man in hospital who had undergone the same surgery as her.

Michelle is being helped in her recovery by her husband[/caption]

Woman smiling in hospital bed with neck tubes.

‘You can’t take my smile away, even if it’s a little crooked right now,’ Michelle said[/caption]

Cover ImagesMichelle one week post op[/caption]

He had a similar leg scar but he couldn’t speak, as surgeons had had to remove his voice box.

“It hit me how lucky I am,” Michelle admitted.

She has nearly 120,000 followers across TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, and one follower told her she had lost her mum to salivary gland cancer just two weeks before.

It hadn’t been caught early, and half her face had been eaten away.

“That shook me and made me realise again how blessed I am,” Michelle reflected.

At her follow-up appointment just six days post-op, doctors said the cancer hadn’t spread to Michelle’s lymph nodes.

But they said she’d have 30 rounds of radiation once she healed from surgery as she has secretory carcinoma, an extremely rare salivary gland cancer with only 50 to 100 cases in the US a year.

“I’m still filled with hope and positivity,” Michelle said.

“You can’t take my smile away, even if it’s a little crooked right now.”