Lively Life-style During Cancer Journey

Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month

John Ogle and his spouse Leah are the homeowners of From Butter with Love, a bakery they began in 2023. Three years later, the enterprise has grown and, in summer season 2026, they’re opening a storefront in downtown Jacksonville on Hogan Street, the place they may promote breads like sourdough, focaccias, bagels, croissants and sweets like danishes and cookies.

The couple met in 2015 doing one thing they each take pleasure in — dancing. Once every week, you could find them dancing West Coast Swing. And annually since 2018, they’ve been forged members within the First Coast Nutcracker ballet within the roles of occasion adults.

Avid runners, they participate within the annual UF Health Turkey Trot 5K in Jacksonville Beach at Thanksgiving. And John performs pickleball a minimum of 4 occasions every week. Add to that his common health club routine, and he’s the image of well being.

An Unexpected Diagnosis

His lively life-style and working routine helped him via a tough time final yr when he was unexpectedly identified with most cancers on his lip. In February 2025, his dentist was the primary to note and referred him to a dermatologist who biopsied the world and confirmed it was a squamous cell carcinoma tumor.

“Those first few months when I was first diagnosed were some of the most stressful of my life.” He stated he felt alarmed and upset when the dermatologist confirmed it was most cancers and that he would wish to have surgical procedure. He started the referral course of to an oral surgeon that finally led to UF Health.

Finding Confidence in His Care Team

His nervousness about going to a big establishment like UF Health was quickly calmed when he met together with his surgeon Daniel Caruso, MD, DDS, UF Health Jacksonville. “He was the first person I could talk to, to fully explore what I was going through, so I wasn’t so upset about it,” stated John. The really helpful therapy plan was surgical procedure to take away the tumor adopted by radiation. He had surgical procedure in June 2025.

Choosing Proton Therapy

Although the tumor was a sort of pores and skin most cancers, it was within the oral cavity and in proximity to the lymph nodes. John had a session with Roi Dagan, MD, MS, who leads the pinnacle and neck most cancers program on the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. John stated, “They were ready to get me started at my first appointment. But I had to think about it. I came back a week later. Dr. Dagan spent the time to talk to me about what to do and why.” He stated Dr. Dagan defined how proton remedy would ship focused radiation to the world of the tumor and the close by lymph nodes and decrease radiation unwanted side effects. John stated the added conferences with Dr. Dagan and with a speech therapist helped set his thoughts relaxed concerning the path ahead. “They took their time and talked me through it, what proton therapy is and why it’s valuable, and that helped me make a good decision.”

Six Weeks of Treatment — and Staying in Motion

He began proton remedy in September 2025, following therapy planning, together with making a customized face masks with mouth chunk to maintain his tongue and lips out of the therapy zone and guarantee precise positioning throughout therapy. John stated, “The end result was, when they did the proton therapy, they were able to shoot my lower lip and not touch my teeth at all.” He described his six weeks of each day therapy as “wonderfully relaxing,” figuring out that since he had an appointment to maintain, he might set different calls for apart. “The gantry room has LED lights. It’s relaxing in there. They play your music. It was a breeze. You don’t feel anything during the treatment.”

By the third week of therapy, John was beginning to really feel the cumulative results of radiation. His lips had been swollen and bruised, his salivary glands weren’t producing saliva and he was having hassle sleeping as a result of ache. He was not in a position to eat strong meals, however he might use a straw to have liquids. John stated the nurses on workers had been tremendous useful. He is grateful for one who observed him within the hallway on the Institute. “She saw I was in a lot of pain after treatments. She knew I was being too tough for the situation and helped me with some pain-relieving topical ointments,” stated John. He stated it was only one instance of how, even throughout his night therapy occasions, somebody was paying consideration and caring for sufferers. “The people involved care a lot about what they’re doing. Everyone I interacted with the whole time was engaged and invested in me. I was pretty impressed.”

Exercise as a Turning Point

Also, through the third week of therapy, John reached a turning level. He stated, “In the third week at the height of the maximum effects of treatment, I ran a 5K. The first mile was rough. Then, suddenly, the pain was dulled and more manageable.” During the ultimate three weeks of his therapy, John saved working, taking part in pickleball, typically going straight from the gantry to the court docket. “The bruising, the burning, the not eating, the swelling. It was all at the maximum. It just mellowed. The pain didn’t go away, but it became less dominant the more I exercised.”

A Strong Recovery and Renewed Focus

By the second week after finishing therapy and ringing the chime within the foyer, the bruising, burning and swelling had improved. Today, six months later, he stated he’s doing nice. “I’ve never felt better. I’m so happy and focused and driven,” stated John. Looking again, he stated he used the prognosis and therapy to arrange an entire new sample of how he lives his life. “I was deliberate about it. I can go in one person and come out a focused better version of myself.”