Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month
John Ogle’s Active Lifestyle Anchored Him During Cancer Journey
John Ogle and his wife Leah are the owners of From Butter with Love, a bakery they started in 2023. Three years later, the business has grown and, in summer 2026, they are opening a storefront in downtown Jacksonville on Hogan Street where they will sell breads like sourdough, focaccias, bagels, croissants and sweets like Danishes and cookies.
The couple met in 2015 doing something they both enjoy – dancing. Once a week, you can find them dancing West Coast Swing. And each year since 2018, they’ve been cast members in the First Coast Nutcracker ballet in the roles of party adults.
Avid runners, they take part in the annual UF Health Turkey Trot 5K in Jacksonville Beach at Thanksgiving. And John plays pickleball at least four times a week. Add to that his regular gym routine, and he is the picture of health.
An Unexpected Diagnosis
His active lifestyle and running routine helped him through a rough time last year when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer on his lip. In February 2025, his dentist was the first to notice and referred him to a dermatologist who biopsied the area and confirmed it was a squamous cell carcinoma tumor.
“Those first few months when I was first diagnosed were some of the most stressful of my life.” He said he felt alarmed and upset when the dermatologist confirmed it was cancer and that he would need to have surgery. He began the referral process to an oral surgeon that eventually led to UF Health.
Finding Confidence in His Care Team
His nervousness about going to a large institution like UF Health was soon calmed when he met with his surgeon Daniel Caruso, MD, DDS, UF Health Jacksonville. “He was the first person I could talk to, to fully explore what I was going through, so I wasn’t so upset about it,” said John. The recommended treatment plan was surgery to remove the tumor followed by radiation. He had surgery in June 2025.
Choosing Proton Therapy
Although the tumor was a type of skin cancer, it was in the oral cavity and in proximity to the lymph nodes. John had a consultation with Roi Dagan, MD, MS, who leads the head and neck cancer program at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. John said, “They were ready to get me started at my first appointment. But I had to think about it. I came back a week later. Dr. Dagan spent the time to talk to me about what to do and why.” He said Dr. Dagan explained how proton therapy would deliver targeted radiation to the area of the tumor and the nearby lymph nodes and minimize radiation side effects. John said the added meetings with Dr. Dagan and with a speech therapist helped set his mind at ease about the path forward. “They took their time and talked me through it, what proton therapy is and why it’s valuable, and that helped me make a good decision.”
Six Weeks of Treatment — and Staying in Motion
He started proton therapy in September 2025, following treatment planning, including making a custom face mask with mouth bite to keep his tongue and lips out of the treatment zone and assure exact positioning during treatment. John said, “The end result was, when they did the proton therapy, they were able to shoot my lower lip and not touch my teeth at all.” He described his six weeks of daily treatment as “wonderfully relaxing” knowing that since he had an appointment to keep, he could set other demands aside. “The gantry room has LED lights. It’s relaxing in there. They play your music. It was a breeze. You don’t feel anything during the treatment.”
By the third week of treatment, John was starting to feel the cumulative effects of radiation. His lips were swollen and bruised, his salivary glands were not producing saliva, and he was having trouble sleeping due to the pain. He was not able to eat solid foods, but he could use a straw to have liquids. John said the nurses on staff were super helpful. He is grateful for one who noticed him in the hallway at the Institute. “She saw I was in a lot of pain after treatments. She knew I was being too tough for the situation and helped me with some pain-relieving topical ointments,” said John. He said it was just one example of how, even during his evening treatment times, someone was paying attention and caring for patients. “The people involved care a lot about what they’re doing. Everyone I interacted with the whole time was engaged and invested in me. I was pretty impressed.”
Exercise as a Turning Point
Also, during the third week of treatment, John reached a turning point. He said, “In the third week at the height of the maximum effects of treatment, I ran a 5K. The first mile was rough. Then, suddenly, the pain was dulled and more manageable.” During the final three weeks of his treatment, John kept running, playing pickleball, sometimes going straight from the gantry to the court. “The bruising, the burning, the not eating, the swelling. It was all at the maximum. It just mellowed. The pain didn’t go away, but it became less dominant the more I exercised.”
A Strong Recovery and Renewed Focus
By the second week after completing treatment and ringing the chime in the lobby, the bruising, burning and swelling had improved. Today, six months later, he said he is doing great. “I’ve never felt better. I’m so happy and focused and driven,” said John. Looking back, he said he used the diagnosis and treatment to set up a whole new pattern of how he lives his life. “I was deliberate about it. I can go in one person and come out a focused better version of myself.”