John Appel is keeping his fingers crossed that he will be able to eat a normal Christmas dinner this year.

The 57-year-old former management consultant is awaiting further reconstructive surgery which will allow the fitting of dentures after recovering from cancer of the mouth.

Currently his diet consists largely of liquid and pureed foods and other softer or finely chopped foodstuffs because eating normally has been an issue since his operation in December 2012.

Mr Appel, who had smoked for 40 years, was diagnosed with cancer in the floor of his mouth in South Africa, where he was living and working, in October 2012.

“I had a tumour in my mouth. It was there for a few months but I ignored it,” he said. “Ever since I could remember I had been prone to mouth ulcers which would stay for a week, maybe two weeks and then go away.

“This one persisted but I didn’t do anything about it until way too late, which was really stupid. I really wasn’t worried, but if I’d had the same thing on my arm I’d have gone to see the doctor.

“Had I known what I know now, then I would have acted quite differently but it was only when it started to be painful that I went to the doctor.”

After his diagnosis Mr Appel moved back to his native Birmingham to be close to his family, who would provide a valuable support network, and within weeks was undergoing an eight-hour operation to remove the tumour at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB).

A section of his lower jaw was removed and replaced with bone and tissue taken from his leg.

“The skill of the surgeons beggars belief,” he said. “Not only did they remove all of the cancerous tissues, they left me with a jaw that is functioning, with a remarkable amount of movement in my tongue and with working salivary glands and a sense of taste.

“Moreover, they operated on a Saturday, giving up their personal time because they were concerned that the cancer was spreading. They showed a real devotion and willingness to go the extra mile. My gratitude knows no end.”

A six-week course of radiotherapy followed which Mr Appel says was “by far the most trying of the consequences of the cancer.”

Surgery, however, had left Mr Appel without lower teeth or full control of his mouth when eating. He never eats without a drink to hand to help with his swallowing and has shunned eating out since his operation.

Implants have subsequently been fitted to his lower jaw by maxillo-facial surgeons at QEHB and he is due to have a denture fitted at Birmingham Dental Hospital in the next few weeks.

“I can eat solids but I have to be very selective and everything must be cut into tiny pieces,” he said. “If I am lucky, after the denture is fitted I may be able to eat some Christmas turkey, but if not I will enjoy an Easter egg for sure!”

Mr Appel has spoken about his disease during Europe-wide Make Sense week, which aims to raise awareness of head and neck cancer.

He urged anyone with potential symptoms to get them checked as soon as possible rather than delay as he did.

The official advice is to go to your doctor if you have suffered any of the following symptoms for three weeks or more:

• a sore tongue, non-healing mouth ulcers and/or red or white patches in the mouth
• pain in the throat
• persistent hoarseness
• painful and/or difficulty swallowing
• lump in the neck
• blocked nose on one side and/or bloody discharge from the nose

“Head and neck cancer really isn’t a death sentence but you need to trust the experts. They really know what they’re doing,” said Mr Appel.

“I would strongly urge anyone showing any of the symptoms to go and get checked out as soon as possible.

“Had I presented myself three, four, five months earlier I would have been facing just a minor operation. Instead, the cancer had spread and it was major surgery and everything that followed.”