Grandad Won’t Leave His House Due To Severity of Facial Disfigurement

A grandfather from Exeter has revealed how he avoids going outside during daylight hours due to his fear of scaring people. Stephen White was left with a gaping hole where his nose used to be after surgery to treat cancer of the nose. Even his eight grandchildren now find his appearance disturbing, and he claims that strangers cross the road to avoid him if he goes out in daylight hours: “I’ve become a prisoner in my own home, only going out at night time like a vampire, and with my hood up, when there’s less traffic and less risk of bumping into people who would judge me.”

Stephen was first alerted to something being wrong when he caught a cold and noticed that his nose was bleeding. He visited his doctor who put him on a course of antibiotics but the nose continued to bleed. It was only when he underwent an MRI scan that the cancer was discovered, and by this point it had eaten into the bone in the centre of his nose. With a risk that the cancer could spread backwards to his brain and spinal chord, he had an operation to remove his nose. his palate and his teeth. Subsequent operations to fit a prosthetic nose have not yet worked successfully, and he remains on a diet of soft food and rarely leaves the house.

Nose cancer can be successfully treated if it is diagnosed early, but tragically many of the symptoms presented by the disease are commonly found in less serious conditions, such as a common cold or ‘flu. It is most common in men over the age of 40, and can often be attributed to a person’s working environment: certain substances are known to increase the risk of developing nose cancer if workers are regularly exposed to them without proper health and safety policies and procedures. 

If you or someone you care for suffers from nose cancer and you think that it might be connected to previous or current employment, you could be eligible to make a claim for compensation. At Mercury Legal we have many years of experience in handling claims involving work-related illness and injuries, and we have experts who are familiar with cases of nose cancer, and how to get the best result for our clients. Contact us today and let us see how we can help you get the compensation pay out that you and your family deserve.