Liverpool student battles facial paralysis after rare head-neck cancer surgery

In March 2023 Ella Tyman noticed swollen eyes and visited a walk-in clinic, where doctors discovered an inch-long lump behind her left ear and sent her to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool. Imaging and biopsies diagnosed a rare parotid gland cancer, and she was scheduled for surgery in September 2023. The operation, originally described as a brief procedure, became complex when the tumor was found encircling facial nerves, forcing surgeons to cut portions of those nerves.

Upon waking, Ella could feel but not move the left side of her face, prompting daily facial exercises, regular Botox injections and later a facelift in May 2026. She completed 33 sessions of proton therapy at Christie’s Hospital, was declared cancer-free on January 10 2024, and resumed her degree at Salford University, despite ongoing challenges with facial function and appearance.