My arm tattoo’s now on my tongue after graft!

Skin from Harriet’s arm used to reconstruct her tongue after cancer op

- By Sue Kirby

AN acting graduate is back on the stage after life-changing cancer treatment that involved removing half her tongue and reconstructing it with skin - and a tattoo - from her arm.

Harriet Trewhitt, 21, was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May and now has a semicolon tattoo, once on her forearm, inside her mouth as part of her newly-constructed tongue. Harriet, from Northallerton, is now backing a Cancer Research UK drive to fund more lifesaving advances that helped save her life.

In December 2024, Harriet, an acting graduate from LMA Drama School in London, developed an ulcer on her tongue. When it didn’t heal and became increasingly painful, she visited her GP, who told her to see a dentist to have it examined.

Harriet, who has epilepsy, said: “It was February and it had got really painful. To my surprise, the dentist sent me to A&E, where I was then triaged to the cancer centre.

“I couldn't really believe what was happening. Things suddenly looked much more serious, and I could feel a sense of urgency in all the medical staff I met.”