Lisa Petersen, Flathead High School and University of Montana graduate, never gave a second thought to the sore on her tongue that she first noticed in fall 2009. When it didn’t go away, she waited much too long before seeking medical attention.

Lisa’s friend Janis Johnson said Lisa was starting a new job as a mental health professional so she let her tongue problem go until health insurance started in February 2009.

“By then, it was stage 4,” Johnson said.

On Oct. 14, 2011, Lisa died after powerful drugs and disfiguring surgery failed to stop the devastation of late-stage oral cancer.

She was 41.

Don and Aggie Petersen, Lisa’s parents, wrote about their daughter’s journey from health through 30 radiation treatments, losing part, then all of her tongue, learning to speak again, taking chemotherapy and then dying from the relentless advance of oral cancer.

“We cannot express enough the urgency for early diagnosis with this type of cancer,” the Petersens wrote. “It is very aggressive as you can see, and spreads quickly, making treatment very difficult for all involved.”

On Saturday, a benefit called Lisa’s Voice offers free oral cancer screenings, food, music and inspiration from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Montana Veterans Home at 400 Veterans Drive in Columbia Falls.

The name refers to organizers speaking on Lisa’s behalf, trying to spare others her fate through early detection.

Johnson said the idea occurred to her while corresponding with other friends of Lisa via Facebook. They talked about doing something such as raising money for oral cancer until one morning when Johnson spontaneously posted it as a cause on Facebook.

“The next thing I knew, I had like 300 members in a few days. I thought, ‘Wow, what’s going on here?’”,” she said. “I hooked up with the Oral Cancer Foundation and now we’re having this big event.”

The idea is to raise money for the foundation while using Lisa’s Voice to give others the live-saving benefit of awareness and early diagnosis. Guests have access to free screenings by Alpenglow Dental, Kalispell Oral Surgery, Alpine Family Dental and Dr. Roger Newman with assistance from a VELscope screening machine provided by Dr. Tom Pittaway.

Too many people ignore subtle symptoms.

“People think, ‘Oh it’s just a canker sore’ or you think you bit your tongue,” Johnson said. “But she actually had a tumor growing in her tongue.”

The latest statistics shows that nonsmokers under 50 such as Lisa represent the fastest growing segment of the oral cancer population. A new correlation ties this to the human papilloma virus.

“It’s a larger percentage of oral cancer than smoking or drinking now,” Johnson said. “I think it’s 80 percent of people carry the HPV virus.”

The foundation website www.oralcancer.org reports that, in the United States, 100 people receive a new diagnosis each day and someone dies of oral cancer every hour of every day. While up to 90 percent of people with early diagnosis survive, most find out too late, leading to the very high death rate of 45 percent at five years.

Johnson encourages everyone to attend the Saturday event and have a screening.

“It only takes about three minutes,” she said. “Would you take three minutes out of your busy schedule to possibly save your life?”

The three-minute screening leaves lots of time to enjoy the food court including a chili feed compliments of the Montana Veterans Home and Food Services of America.

“The VFW [Post 276]) will be barbecuing for us,” Johnson said. “They’re really awesome guys and pretty entertaining.”

 Michael Robison serves as emcee and an inspiration as an auctioneer who trained after cancer treatment damaged his voice. He will speak about his ordeal.

“Julianne Hinchey, an attorney in Kalispell, will speak on how early detection saved her life,” Johnson said. “April Coen will speak about Lisa Petersen and the founding of Lisa’s Voice. We have a lot of awareness booths.”

Raffles and silent auctions offer furniture to art pieces, restaurant certificates to beauty and car services to help raise money for the Oral Cancer Foundation. Sonny King and Steve Kamerick will provide music entertainment.

“We also want to bring some notice to Taylor Peterson,” Johnson said. “She’s a 16-year-old in Columbia Falls who has jaw cancer. And Sandra Chopper who works with me — she has throat cancer.”

Since word has gotten out about this event, Johnson said she has gotten many calls from people in the Flathead Valley who have oral cancer.

“If we can help one person it will all be worth it,” Johnson said.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.