Orlando's Jason Mendelsohn Beating Cancer Like a Superhero

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s….a cancer survivor with an amazing story and an important message!

Okay, so fifty-year old Jason Mendelsohn is the first to admit he’s not even close to matching the man from Krypton in the hype department. “I’m just a guy,” he says sheepishly, “I work fifty to seventy hours a week, have three teenagers, family guy, the usual.” But he’s also taken on the persona of “SupermanHPV.” You see, in 2014, Jason was diagnosed with stage 4 HPV related tonsil cancer, leading to a hellish year of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and even making “goodbye” messages for his family. But his loved ones and friends insisted he would survive, and gave him the nickname he shares with the Man of Steel. “My friends called me Superman, stating that I was tough like Superman during radiation and chemo,” says Mendelsohn.

With determination, Mendelsohn did indeed survive, and a year into his recovery, was in good enough shape to both speak at and participate in a Ride to Conquer Cancer. “I realized what a difference I made when I told my story,” he remembers. “If I could come up with a witty hook, and share my story, maybe I could change some lives.” Thus, “SupermanHPV” was born. “I realized that so much of what I was finding on the internet was about the horrible side effects from treatment along with scary photos of people losing their teeth or with cracked jaws,” he recalls. “I wanted to find some ways to give people hope.”

In addition to his inspiring story, Mendelsohn’s “Superman” has a specific message: HPV awareness, education, and vaccination can save lives. With remarkable medical breakthroughs in the last two decades, ordeals like Mendelsohn’s – who likely was exposed to the HPV virus when he was in college – could be a thing of the past if only more people were made aware.

Local press eventually led to a call from NBC, and an appearance on the Nightly News with Lester Holt. And it wasn’t long before Jason found his way to the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, who are also on a mission to emphasize the importance of HPV vaccinations. Mendelsohn had contacted many cancer organizations about establishing a more official role, but quickly found a great partner in the HNCA’s Ambassador program. “I’m not Michael Douglas, or Jim Kelly, or a big celebrity,” he says. “But they were happy to work with me right away. For me, it provided that alignment with doctors and medical organizations that I didn’t have on my own, as well as offering more opportunities for me to directly help.”

The benefit for Mendelsohn has been unexpected: he’s now considered a valuable resource who can connect those recently diagnosed with the right kind of professional attention and personal support. “The doctors at HNCA are never too busy, the staff and support team are awesome. Everyone cares about the patients.” As an ambassador, Mendelsohn has travelled as far as Dublin, Ireland to share his story, as well as testifying at a Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill about his experience as a survivor and advocate.

With a tradition of serving patients and survivors dating back over three decades, the non-profit Head and Neck Cancer Alliance (HNCA) (headandneck.org) also focuses on the preventative measures represented by the HPV vaccine. “There’s a strong link between HPV and throat cancer,” executive director Amanda Hollinger explains. “HPV head and neck cancer now exceeds cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer in the United States, so we’ve really made a coordinated effort to tie in our message with HPV awareness.”

The origins of the HNCA date back to the mid-1980s and Oscar-winning actor Yul Brynner, who famously, after being diagnosed with the throat cancer that would eventually claim his life, went on a crusade to spread a message about the danger of smoking and cancer awareness. Eventually, a television commercial released after he died served as a crucial moment in our cultural awareness about the dangers of tobacco addiction. But his legacy has extended far beyond that chilling ad: he also established the Yul Brynner Foundation, dedicated to awareness of throat and oral cancer. A decade later, Dr. Terry Day founded the Association for Head and Neck Cancer in Memphis, and shortly thereafter, the two organizations merged to form the HNCA.

Hollinger is also grateful to the many volunteers like Mendelsohn who are members of the HNCA’s Ambassador program. “Our ambassadors are both survivors and caregivers who we engage to speak in the community about their experiences,” Hollinger explains. The HNCA has long served as a “one-stop shop” resource where those impacted by these cancers can find treatment news, therapeutic support, access to information and educational resources, and connection to peers and fellow patients.

With most of the work being done by volunteers, Hollinger is impressed daily with the amount of dedication and determination everyone brings to their work on behalf of the HNCA. “Every day there’s someone that’s newly diagnosed, and it’s amazing to know that they can turn to us through our phone lines, or join our online support community with over 9000 members, or engage across social media – they feel so much less alone. That’s the heart of our job, and why it’s so important.”

https://www.headandneck.org/