In Loving Memory of Declan McGrath

At the request of Declan’s family, contributions in his memory can be made to OrCA (Oral Cancer Awareness), by clicking here or by clicking the DONATE button in the main menu. Below, Dr. Larry Hamburg shares a personal tribute to his dear friend and brother in the fight against oral cancer. 

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I loved — and will always love — Declan McGrath.
He will always be my brother from another mother. In fact, most people who saw pictures of us together (in our OrCA T-shirts) would say, “Is that your brother?” And I would say, “YES IT IS!”

Declan was diagnosed with Stage 4 oral cancer in 2016. He was referred to my office for pre-cancer dental therapy, particularly because we had the same diagnosis! We hit it off immediately, and I remember telling my staff to be careful — don’t get too close to this guy because he won’t be around much longer… but none of us could help falling in love with Declan.

And, as you know, he proved my (less than six months) prediction wrong. To say he was a fighter would be a gross understatement!

His treatment results were nothing short of a modern-day miracle. His cancer was eradicated by chemo and radiation. However, he struggled EVERY SINGLE DAY for eight years since — mostly due to his inability to swallow. Every day was a challenge for Declan. He was then, and will always be, my inspiration.

He was the most generous, sweet, kind, and funny cancer patient (or otherwise) that I have ever known!

Our prayers go out to his family and dear friends, who he loved so much. We believe our brother is definitely in a better place.

Because of Declan — and so many like him — we at OrCA are recommitted to working even harder to motivate people to get screened for oral cancer annually. It only takes a minute, and it’s completely painless. We have to spread the word and decrease the morbidity and mortality rates through early diagnosis — NOW!

May Declan Rest In Peace. G-d knows, he deserves it!