'I went to the GP with a scab on face, then I had my nose, eye and cheek removed'

A man from Stockport who went to the GP after noticing a scab on his face, then had his nose, eye and cheek removed as part of gruelling cancer treatment.

Robin Fahey, 69, said he first noticed a scab on his nose in 2015 but his GP burnt it off his face. It then came back in 2019 so he was referred to dermatology and was told he had cancer - which made him lose his nose, left eye, part of his cheek and his top teeth.

He then had to wait for his new facial prosthetic - a bespoke removable silicone devices that replace a facial part - and during this time, he 'rarely left his house except for hospital appointments.'

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But now Robin, of Stockport, is 'getting used to his new face' and even plans to visit his daughter in America with wife Phyllis, 75.

He said: "I’m very happy with it and I am getting used to my new face. My daughter lives in America and five years ago she bought her own house.

"I’ve never seen it, since I couldn’t set foot on a plane looking the way I did. We are now planning to visit her, hopefully for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

"The prosthesis is already massively improving my mental outlook. It’s giving me the freedom to live my life and I feel more positive."

A portrait of Robin is one of 15 unveiled at a Leeds hospital showing people with injuries who wear prosthetics to replace facial features such as their eye or a nose.

The patients, who were all treated for cancers, took part in research to compare the comfort of prosthetics made using different methods. As part of the study, their portraits were painted to highlight the physical and psychological impacts of their treatments and have gone on display in the Bexley Wing at St James's University Hospital.

The gallery highlights how methods of producing the prostheses - bespoke removable silicone devices that replace a facial part - have changed over the years.

Ryan hopes the exhibition, called "I'm Still Me", will show that 'Cancer has many faces.' He said: "I am hoping I’m Still Me will help people see the person behind the prosthesis and understand their tough rehabilitation journey.

"Prostheses act as a shield for the public who might be upset if they found out what we really looked like – they provide a level of public acceptability. By being painted without my prosthesis, I hope people will gain a better understanding of head and neck cancer.

"I am probably one of the most outgoing people you’d ever meet but waiting for a facial prosthesis wore me down and impacted my mental health.

"I hope people who have a facial part removed for cancer are informed that they won’t wake up with their prosthesis and it will take some time.

"I also want patients to know that there’s life after surgery; having a prosthesis has massively improved my outlook. I think we should be putting these portraits on bus stops to get people talking about face equality. My tagline can be “Cancer has many faces – this is mine."

The exhibition - which features work by artists Alison Murdoch, Sarah Morley, Tracy Ireland, Jenny Mather at Brigid Brind - will run until January 31 at St James Hospital in Leeds.