It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Brian R. Hill, co-founder of The Oral Cancer Foundation.
The world, as we know it, has lost an incredible human being.
Brian was a Stage IV oral cancer survivor who turned his own battle into a lifelong mission to save others. After being misdiagnosed twice before his cancer was discovered in 1997, Brian didn’t retreat. He built something that would outlast him. Alongside his wife Ingrid, he founded The Oral Cancer Foundation in 1999 and dedicated the next 25+ years of his life to fighting for the patients, the families, and the future of oral cancer awareness.
His impact was nothing short of extraordinary. Brian worked alongside Senator Ted Kennedy to pass landmark tobacco regulation legislation. He spoke at the World Health Organization’s Global Oral Cancer Conference. He partnered with icons like Jack Klugman and the Paltrow family to bring oral cancer out of the shadows and into the national conversation. He launched the Check Your Mouth self-screening initiative. He created the world’s largest oral cancer patient support forum, giving thousands of people around the globe a place to turn when they felt alone. He was honored with the Global Oral Cancer Forum’s Commitment, Courage and Innovation Leadership Award. And for 15 years, he served as OCF’s Executive Director without taking a single dollar in compensation.
Brian and Ingrid Hill were two human beings who lived to serve others. They funded programs out of their own pockets, built a five-star rated nonprofit from the ground up, and never stopped pushing for a world where oral cancer is caught early and lives are saved.
To the Saving Face family: so much of what we do in the oral cancer awareness space exists because Brian Hill carved the path. His advocacy, his voice, his relentless push for early detection screenings, and his belief that awareness saves lives are woven into the fabric of this movement.
I will be forever grateful for your guidance, mentorship, and above all, friendship. Rest easy, my friend, knowing that you made a difference. 🤍
The work continues. Because that is exactly what Brian would want.
To learn more about Brian’s legacy and The Oral Cancer Foundation, visit oralcancerfoundation.org.
