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Cancer of the mouth and face affects our swallowing, our speech and more importantly our self-perception and self-esteem. Therefore, reconstructive surgery of the mouth and face touches on the deepest human feelings about identity. The surgery offers the promise of allowing patients to eat, drink and communicate again through the wide variety of facial expressions and mannerisms that most people take for granted. In a ten-hour procedure, the patient\u2019s cancer will be removed, and a new facial \u201cflap\u201d will be attached to the recipient\u2019s blood vessels and nerves. The tissues are matched for colour and type and function. In the procedure the patient\u2019s compliance and contribution to recovery is as important as the surgery itself.