After 20 Years with Tongue Cancer and Losing Most of His Tongue, This Dad, 41, Is Determined to Speak Again

For more than 20 years, Ryan Shinkle has been living with tongue cancer — a disease that has taken most of his tongue, but not his determination to speak again.

The 41-year-old father of two, who built his career in sales and communication, first noticed something was wrong at age 25, when a white patch appeared on the side of his tongue. A biopsy confirmed it was precancerous leukoplakia. Over the next decade, Shinkle remained vigilant, undergoing regular checkups at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center — even as he got married, started a family, and advanced to a leadership role in a major insurance brokerage firm.

But in 2014, just as he and his wife Ashley were expecting their first child, the condition escalated. The lesion had turned cancerous. Ryan underwent his first partial glossectomy — a surgery to remove part of the tongue. When the cancer returned in 2019, he endured a second operation. He hoped it would be the end of it.

It wasn’t.

In early 2025, Ryan began experiencing familiar pain. A biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma. Doctors proposed surgery and radiation. He also joined a trial for immunotherapy — but midway through treatment, the tumor suddenly doubled in size.

“We went from a small, manageable tumor to facing the loss of my entire tongue in six weeks,” Ryan tells PEOPLE. “I was crushed. The thought of not being able to speak to my children — it broke me.”

Doctors warned that a total glossectomy might be necessary. That meant losing his ability to speak, eat, and perhaps even swallow without assistance. His wife Ashley suggested documenting the journey — a decision that sparked a new mission.

Using the TikTok handle @dadgotyourtongue, Ryan began sharing raw updates. One of his first videos captured him walking into the hospital for surgery, joking:
“Preparing to have my tongue cut out and reconstructed with my forearm — as if that’s totally normal for a 41-year-old who’s never touched tobacco.”

His complex 12-hour surgery removed nearly two-thirds of his tongue and rebuilt it with a flap from his thigh. But just 36 hours later, a blood clot caused the flap to fail, forcing emergency surgery. Doctors salvaged the thigh flap as a graft and reconstructed his tongue using tissue from his forearm.

In the days following, Ryan couldn’t speak — but he could still write. One of his first notes to Ashley simply said, “I love you.”

After a tracheostomy, doctors fitted him with a vocal cap to redirect airflow. Then, the impossible happened.

“Out of nowhere, I said her name,” Ryan recalls. “Ashley broke down in tears. Then I told her, ‘I love you. Thank you for taking care of me.’ A few days later, I promised her, ‘I’m going to win this. I will speak again.’”

Recovery has been slow and difficult — from swallowing mashed potatoes to performing daily tongue exercises to regain control of the remaining muscles. Radiation brought a fresh wave of pain, fatigue, and mouth sores. But Ryan never stopped documenting his journey.

On TikTok, he’s found a growing audience drawn to his authenticity, humor, and resilience. He shares progress updates, offers advice to fellow patients, and gives voice — literally and figuratively — to those who feel isolated by illness.

“It’s therapeutic,” he says. “For me and for others going through similar things. I didn’t expect to build a community, but it’s become a support system.”

His most recent scans showed no evidence of disease. For now, he’ll return for checkups every five years — a milestone that once felt impossible.

Today, Ryan is focused on more than just healing. He’s working on a book about overcoming adversity and hopes to build a platform to help others take charge of their health, mindset, and purpose.

“I’ve learned I’m stronger than I ever imagined — and more vulnerable than I wanted to admit,” Ryan reflects. “But I’ve also realized: surviving is worth it. And if I can speak again, I want that voice to help others feel less alone.”