'Doctors gave me antibiotics because it hurt to breathe - now I have no nose'

A man has been left with a hole in his face after doctorsbrushed off his symptoms instead of checking for cancer.

William Brogan, from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, was struggling with "breathing pain" from his nose and went to the GP. He was given antibiotics in response. Sadly, it took doctors an entire year to seek a biopsy, delaying what would later be diagnosed as cancer. The 47-year-old was told he had lymphoma in January, twelve months after pleading for help with the pain in his nose. He then underwent a gruelling 20-hour surgery in a bid to remove the cancer.

READ MORE: Baby's heartbreaking condition keeps him up at night and 'screaming' in pain

Surgeons had to focus on his nose and upper gum, as well as making sure there was no cancer in his neck. They also attempted to rebuild the gum using healthytissue from under his arm. However, the muscles in his mouth didn't take to it and it didn't work.

William then had a second five-hour operation to remove parts of the graft and address his gum, before a third 12-hour operation which saw his surgeons rebuilding his upper mouth by take a skin graft from his arm and muscle from his waist. He has since been undergoing radiotherapy, which is set to finish shortly, before work begins on reconstructing his nose.

William, a former chef, said: "I have never seen anybody else like this in my life. Diazepane - used to relieve symptoms of anxiety - is the thing that gives me the courage to go out. People say 'there's that man with the hole in his face'. They've already taken a picture of my face, so they know what colour to make my nose."

William claims he had told doctors for months that something was wrong with his nose. He added: "I had been telling them for months and months that it was something more - you know your own body. Now I've got a hole in my face and a triangle where they removed part of my nose."

He underwent an initial biopsy in September 2024 which came back inconclusive. Eventually after another round of unsuccessful antibiotics and pain breathing through his nose, William was given another biopsy in January which revealed a type of facial lymphoma.

The cancer originates in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body. The cancer had spread from William's nose into his mouth, and he was told he'd need surgery.

William believes the cancer could have been caught earlier before it spread further around his neck and face. It took them over a year to get a biopsy and find it was cancer. They could have caught this nine month earlier before it travelled into my mouth. The doctors didn't know what it was - they gave me antibiotics to keep on top of it, but it wasn't getting better.

"I just had a sore nose. I kept asking for antibiotics and another appointment took weeks to get. The antibiotics were helping at first but when I asked for more help I had to wait for an appointment. It got worse in that time waiting."

William is now hoping the radiotherapy has done enough to keep the cancer at bay so he can focus on rebuilding his face. He said: "I'm hoping to have a skin graft to try and rebuild my face within the year. I finished with radiotherapy which I've been having for six weeks on Wednesday (18/06). I can't thank the surgeons enough; they saved my life."