North Alabama woman shares her battle with a rare form of cancer in hopes of spreading awareness

HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — A cancer diagnosis can turn someone's life upside down, and for this North Alabama woman, it's no different.

Yet, she's bravely sharing her current battle with a very rare form of cancer in hopes to bring awareness and help someone who may be fighting as well.

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"I thought, they have to have this wrong," said Stacy Bell. "They must have been reading somebody else's test, because this just can't be, I'm only 50. I just turned 50. I have so much else I want to do."

Three words no one ever wants to hear: you have cancer.

"He said, you have, squamous cell carcinoma on your tongue, which is basically skin cancer in your tongue," she said.

A type of cancer that is so rare, it makes up less than one percent of annual diagnoses in the U.S., according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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"All I thought was a canker sore wouldn't go away," she said. It was very stubborn, and I finally reached out when I swelled up on the right side.

Herr ear nose and throat doctor originally said cancer wasn't even in the conversation.

"He said, you know, you can't have cancer because you don't smoke, you don't drink, haven't traveled to a foreign country, don't lay out in the sun, you have no risk factors."

Although for Stacy Bell, her case, was unfortunately the exception.

"It took forever for it to register, because this has been going on a couple of months now, and it's just totally turned my family's life and mine upside down," she said.

After processing, she took to the internet to do some research, quickly learning of the rare, yet invasive type of treatment her cancer requires.

"They are going to remove a quarter of my tongue on the right side," she said. They're going to rebuild it with this forearm because they believe instead of using the thigh, which they could do, the tissue is more malleable it's softer. It's able to shrink down to the size of the other side of the tongue, and then six weeks of radiation, which really comes up to 30 days.

This is all in addition to re-learning how to speak, eat, drink, and swallow.

Bell said her life has flipped upside down. She now has to move back in with her parents, all while her 72-year-old mother is looking for a second job to help pay for treatment.

"It's just affected us in so many ways emotionally, physically, financially."

Despite the cards she's been dealt, she's choosing to stay positive.

She even started a YouTube channel to share her journey and help spread awareness for this rare form of cancer.

"At first I thought, this is terrifying, but more and more, I am trying to get on board with what's about to happen."

If you would like to watch her journey, you can find her page on Youtube.

If you would like to help her, she has a GoFundMe as well.