Young Tongues

Young Tongues exists because younger adults diagnosed with tongue cancer were being left without the support, understanding or resources they urgently needed. When our founder, Barbara Fountain, was diagnosed at 32, she discovered there was no community for younger patients, no age-appropriate information and no guidance that reflected the realities of working, parenting, relationships or identity at this life stage.

That gap wasn’t unique to her — it was happening everywhere.

Today, Young Tongues is the only organisation in the world dedicated specifically to people diagnosed aged 18–64 facing tongue cancer, a group whose numbers are rising quickly. Through digital peer support groups, monthly virtual meet-ups, in-person gatherings and a growing global network, we bring together patients and their supporters from across the globe to ensure no one feels alone in their experience.

Thanks to donors, we provide practical, trustworthy, clinically reviewed resources; a widely appreciated podcast sharing real stories; and direct partnerships with researchers and clinicians to ensure younger patients’ experiences shape the future of diagnosis, care and treatment. We also speak internationally to help healthcare professionals recognise symptoms sooner and understand the distinct challenges this age group faces.

Our next major initiative is the Young Tongues Patient Hub - a new website that makes finding clinically safe information written from a patient perspective more accessible AND the Young Tongues Patient Insight Platform — a global project to turn lived experiences into evidence powerful enough to influence research, improve care and support earlier diagnosis. This is a bold step forward, but it can only happen with donor support.

Young Tongues receives no government funding. It costs around £60,000 a year just to maintain our current work. Every donation has a direct impact: keeping our support groups running, expanding our resources, accelerating vital advocacy and helping us build the systems younger adults desperately need.

Your support helps make sure no young person faces tongue cancer in isolation and that the future of care for this growing group is built on understanding, compassion and evidence.

US-based donors

U.S.-based donors can make tax-deductible contributions to the *Young Tongues Fund* at Myriad USA. Because Myriad USA is a public charity, within the meaning of Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) of the IRC, donors may claim the maximum tax benefits allowed by U.S. tax law for their contributions. If you wish to support us, here is how to proceed:

• Gifts by check: Address your check to Myriad USA, write *Young Tongues Fund* in the memo section of the check, and send it to Myriad USA at 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2400, New York, NY 10176
• *Gifts by credit card on this page: https://www.every.org/young-tongues/f/fund-the-foundations*
• Gifts by wire transfer or to contribute other types of property: Contact Myriad USA via email at donations@myriadusa.org or phone (212) 713-7660.