**UPDATE as of February 3, 2026**

Greetings to all of my wonderful family, friends, and the tremendous community that has surrounded me in support, care, concern and love as I began my journey with tongue cancer. My battle is entering a new chapter and I wanted to keep you updated on what has been going on, and where I am in my treatment.

I cannot begin to tell you how humbled and appreciative I have been by the outpouring of support I received at the onset of my diagnosis. As with many things in our health care system, there are so many pieces that have to come together in order to acquire the best care possible. Finding the proper treatment care facilities, the best doctors that specialize in my particular form of cancer, formulating the optimal plan to move forward in my treatment, securing proper insurance coverages to help offset the financial burden, and simply scheduling out the calendar for treatment have all been high on my list of priorities over the past couple of months.

To this effect, the contributions to my GoFundMe page have been a godsend, and I was so grateful to have resources available as we began putting all of these pieces of the puzzle together. I have done my best to reach out to everyone that has lent me support in any way. If I somehow missed you, please know that I appreciate each of every person that has been by my side. About a week ago, I posted that cancer can be a very private journey, but I have been reinforced by the support from my friends and loved ones.

While I was in the hospital in January, they inserted a feeding tube into my stomach and performed a tracheotomy. I haven’t been able to consume solid food since New Year’s. The cancer and swelling in my tongue was very painful, making it difficult to swallow or breathe. There was a fear that I would aspirate. The feeding tube and tracheotomy helped to alleviate those concerns, but it also delayed my ability to begin treatment. It is frustrating that we are into February, and we still haven’t done anything to combat the cancer still growing in my tongue. However, now it starts!

Tomorrow, February 4, I will begin radiation 5 days a week for the next 7 weeks. Chemotherapy treatment will be added to my radiation plan one day a week as well. This will create a heavy workload of being driven to UCLA in Westwood. Amanda and good friends have created a workflow to get me there and back. Again, I am humbled by the logistical support that is being provided by those close to me.

Cancer impacted me closely when my mother contracted it. Then, my father. Now, I have been navigating the learning curve and treatment journey as a first timer in my own battle, and the battle starts now. I wanted to get this update out to let you know how thankful and appreciative I already feel as we begin this next chapter. Much love to you all. Hell 4 leather.

**ORIGINAL POST CREATED ON 11/21/25**

On November 14th, my 61st birthday, I, David Swanson, was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. I am determining the best course of action with my doctors, but a comprehensive surgery to remove around half my tongue and a subsequent reconstruction from muscle in my body will need to be performed. There is the possibility it has entered my lymphatic system, and radiation therapy will likely also be necessary.

I am a Pulitzer Prize-winning freelance photojournalist and have performed my art in dangerous theaters that have made it difficult to find comprehensive medical coverage. I will have a significant cost outlay that will exceed my ability to cover the full payments, and, although it is not in my nature to ask for help, I am seeking any donations to help cover my expenses and still receive quality care.

Given the sub-mucosal nature of the type of cancer they found in my tongue biopsies, there is a high probability that the cancer took root due to my trade and exposure in the field. I would be humbled by any amount you might be able to donate to help get me through this difficult time.

More about David Swanson:

For those of you unfamiliar with David's work, he has covered war zones (from Bosnia, to Ground Zero in New York City, to Afghanistan, to Iraq), natural disasters (the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, the LA Fires) and even red carpet events like the Oscars. If you would like to view some of David's work, it can be found here: https://www.photoswanson.com/index

While David's photos illustrate what it looked like standing where he stood to take newsworthy images, they can't tell you what it felt like. For this reason, David was recently approached to start a podcast to share those experiences. You can listen to "Just the Photographer with David Swanson" on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-the-photographer-with-david-swanson/id1830042077