A recently retired Army chemical officer underwent three root canal operations to cure an extreme toothache and then discovered he had one of the world’s rarest cancers.
Lt. Col. Brian Hooks began experiencing what he thought was a toothache just months after retiring from the Army after 25 years in June 2022.
She visited a dentist, an endodontist, an ENT specialist and an oral surgeon in an unsuccessful attempt to find the cause of the terrible pain, but it was not until September of last year that a biopsy finally diagnosed SMARCB1-deficient sinonasal carcinoma.
“It’s a rare form of cancer. I was told there are fewer than 200 cases,” he said. WFTS in Tampa, Florida.
“I thought I was a healthy person. I exercise and eat well.”
Lt. Col. Brian Hooks had just retired after 25 years in the U.S. Army when he began suffering from what he thought was a severe toothache, only to be diagnosed with one of the rarest cancers in the world.
More than 100 people have contributed to a Gofundme campaign set up by his wife Debbra after a diagnosis that she says has “turned our world upside down”.
Two months later he had surgery to remove half of his palate and now has difficulty eating and speaking.
“They’re still doing scans to make sure there’s no recurrence,” he said.
Cancer attacks the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses and affects less than one in a million people.
According to NIH research, fewer than 200 cases have been reported in the medical literature. The study also noted that it accounts for only one percent of all head and neck cancers.
Much remains unknown about prognosis, but the NIH states that most patients survive only two to four years after diagnosis and “later-stage tumors are associated with a worse prognosis.”
Symptoms include nasal obstructions, headaches, bulging of the eyeball, nosebleeds and what sometimes feels like a severe toothache.
“I’ve been grinding my teeth since I was a kid, maybe I grind my teeth at night,” Hooks said.
“I’ve never had cavities. At first they thought they didn’t see anything wrong with your teeth.
“In the end I had root canals on three teeth, I didn’t need them, but I was still in pain.”
Hooks spent four years as a Special Operations Forces team leader in its counter-weapons-of-mass-destruction unit before moving to U.S. Special Operations Command Central.
Hooks had just begun his post-Army career and was already receiving rave reviews from his new bosses, while Debbra remains in the forces as a U.S. Air Force analyst.
He had just begun his post-Army career as an environmental, health and safety specialist at a Florida paving company when he noticed something was wrong, but he had already made a big impression on his new bosses.
“Brian’s strengths lie in staying calm in the face of adversity, researching and understanding regulations, and being a positive role model,” they wrote in a glowing testimonial.
That strength in the face of adversity is now being tested to the limit by a diagnosis that, according to his wife Debbra, 46, has “turned our world upside down.”
She has started a GoFundMe Appeal for help to pay medical bills now running into tens of thousands of dollars.
“Brian underwent a challenging surgery on November 7th, followed by intense rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments,” she wrote.
‘While you have shown incredible resilience and courage throughout this difficult journey, we know there is still a long road ahead.
‘The treatments have taken their toll on his body and we are now exploring other treatment options.’
More than 100 people have donated to the fundraiser, and former MLB players David Wells and Toby Hall will join radio host Mike Calta behind the bar on Saturday for a Celebrity Bartending Night to raise money for the family at Three Brothers New York Pizza in Odessa.
“Everyone has been so supportive: my neighbors, my family, my friends, my wife,” Hooks said.
‘My wife has done so much for me. I wouldn’t be here without her and without God, first of all.
Hooks said he was denied a biopsy when he first requested one and has urged his fellow veterans to look out for their own interests.
“Make sure you get your checks, your annual checks, and if you have anything out of the ordinary, don’t ignore it,” he said.
‘Go to the doctor and get a check-up.’