The Chemo Mouthpiece: How One Engineer's Solution Changed My Treatment Experience

It's been long enough since my last treatment that I can finally say this with confidence: the Chemo Mouthpiece works.

If you're going through chemotherapy or know someone who is, this might be information that changes everything.

The Problem: Oral Mucositis

Last round of chemo, my mouth was so sore that I couldn't talk or even smile for days. The pain was relentless - every swallow hurt, every word was difficult. It's called oral mucositis, and it's one of the most common and miserable side effects of chemotherapy.

According to the FDA, oral mucositis affects a significant percentage of chemo patients, causing painful inflammation and ulceration of the mouth and throat. It can make eating, drinking, and speaking excruciating.

During my first treatment, I tried the standard recommendation: ice chips. I'd suck on them throughout the infusion, trying to keep my mouth cold enough to prevent damage. It didn't work for me. The mucositis came anyway, just as painful as ever.

So I did what I always do when faced with a problem: I researched alternatives.

The Solution: An Engineer Who Understood

That's when I found the Chemo Mouthpiece.

The Chemo Mouthpiece is an FDA-cleared oral cryotherapy device designed to cool the oral mucosa (the lining of your mouth) during chemotherapy infusions. By keeping your mouth consistently cold, it reduces blood flow to the area, which means less chemotherapy drug reaches the mouth tissues - and that means less damage and less pain.

What struck me most about this device was its origin story. Founder David Yoskowitz battled Hodgkin's lymphoma himself - the same cancer I'm fighting - and experienced firsthand the painful effects of oral mucositis during his own chemotherapy. He knew there had to be a better way.

Using his engineering expertise, David designed a simple yet effective oral cryotherapy device that would actually work for patients struggling through treatment.

A Device So New, My Oncologists Hadn't Heard of It

When I brought the Chemo Mouthpiece to my oncology team, they'd never heard of it. That surprised me at first, but it turns out the company is so new that they're just now getting started with distribution.

My oncologist reached out to the company directly, and they were incredibly responsive. They sent us a sample of the mouthpiece to evaluate - and it arrived before my next infusion! That timing felt providential. It made me feel special, like someone was looking out for me.

The Experience: Comfortable Enough to Make Me Doubt

Here's the thing that almost made me not believe it would work: the mouthpiece didn't hurt to use. At all.

It was so comfortable that I became doubtful. I thought, "How is it possible that such a painful problem could have such a comfortable solution?"

During previous treatments, the ice chips were uncomfortable - constantly melting, having to crunch them, never quite getting my whole mouth cold enough. The Chemo Mouthpiece just sits in your mouth, connected to a cooling system, maintaining a consistent cold temperature throughout the entire infusion. No crunching, no melting, no constant effort.

I wore it through my infusion, skeptical but hopeful.

The Result: It Actually Worked

After my infusion, I waited for the familiar pain to start. The soreness that made talking difficult. The burning that made eating impossible.

It didn't come.

I had little to no mouth pain. The difference was night and day. Where I'd previously been unable to speak or smile for days, I was now functioning normally almost immediately after treatment.

It worked. Really, truly worked.

A Glimpse of Providence

I am a humble witness to the beautifully interwoven landscape of stories and experiences the Lord has curated for each of us. An engineer who survived Hodgkin's lymphoma creates a device. Years later, I'm diagnosed with the same cancer. I research solutions. I find his device. It arrives just in time. It works.

Time and time again through this journey, I've learned that I can trust God to pull me through anything - sometimes in ways I never expected, through people I've never met, using solutions I didn't know existed.

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him." - Psalm 91:1-2 NLT

If You're Going Through Chemo

If you or someone you love is facing chemotherapy and struggling with oral mucositis, ask your oncologist about the Chemo Mouthpiece. It's FDA-cleared, it's comfortable, and in my experience, it actually works. You can find more information about it on their website chemomouthpiece.com

Not every solution will work for every person - our bodies are all different. But this one worked for me, and it might work for you too.

Sometimes the answer to our prayers comes through the hard-won wisdom of someone who walked the same difficult road before us. David Yoskowitz suffered through oral mucositis and decided no one else should have to endure what he did. His engineering became his ministry.

And I'm grateful he didn't give up on finding a better way.

💜 Kayla