GRANDMOTHER 65-year-old Denise Gill from Ferndown in Dorset knows first hand the devastating effect mouth cancer can have on a family.

Her daughter Kezia Beament, 32, lost her husband to mouth cancer three years ago.

Paul was an active man who did not smoke or drink excessively, but after suffering from increasing pain at the back of his neck he decided to see a dentist. It took four specialists to identify the problem as cancer.

Within three weeks Paul underwent a 12-hour operation to remove half of his tongue and reconstruct it with soft tissue taken from his forearm.

He had a peg feeding tube fitted to provide nutrition directly into his stomach and a tracheotomy to help him breathe.

As he was such a young, fit and determined patient, he didn't use them other than four days immediately post-op.

He was determined to fight the cancer. After recovering from the surgery, a six-week course of radiotherapy followed, after which Paul and Kezia were told he was cancer free.

Mid-June saw them mark their second wedding anniversary and Paul was hoping to return to work.

But, by July, the cancer was back and further surgery was impossible, so they faced months of chemotherapy.

Paul passed away in December 2004. He was 34. His widow, Kezia, who now lives in Bristol, is doing all she can to promote awareness of mouth cancer.

Her mother Denise todl the Echo: "As a retired nurse I was so shocked at Paul dying ten months after he first went to the dentist's.

"I couldn't believe the aggressiveness of the cancer. It was very hard seeing Kezia going through the strain of nursing Paul and trying to keep his spirits up.

"They had so much love between them. They had not long moved into a house and had so many plans and much to look forward to.

"We went through the agony as parents in a different way to our daughter and if I can help someone to not have to do it, I will."

Mouth Cancer kills 1 in 2 people due to late detection. There are 46 new cases of mouth cancer in Dorset every year.

At least three-quarters of mouth cancers could be prevented by stopping smoking and reducing alcohol. Mouth cancers have a higher proportion of deaths per number of cases than breast cancer, cervical cancer or skin melanoma.

Symptoms include: 1. A sore or ulcer in the mouth that does not heal within 3 weeks 2. A lump or overgrowth of tissue anywhere in the mouth 3. A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, or lining of the mouth 4. Difficulty in swallowing, chewing or moving the jaw or tongue 5. Numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth or jaws 6. A feeling that something is caught in the throat 7. A chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists more than 6 weeks 8. Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable 9. Neck swelling present for more than 3 weeks 10. Unexplained looseness of teeth persisting for more than 3 weeks 11. Swelling causing obstruction of the nose, particularly if associated with bleeding or pus discharge