On 4/13/20 @9:30am pst - voice actor Rob Paulsen – a legend in his field, and the talent behind such classic animated characters as Yakko in “Animaniacs,” Pinky in “Pinky and the Brain,” and Donatello in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

You might not realize it, but some of our culture’s most beloved figures have died from oral, head, or neck cancer – from Babe Ruth to Sammy Davis, Jr. to George Harrison. But there are also those who survived, like Michael Douglas and Jim Kelly. And working with patients and survivors for over two decades is The Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, who launch their 22nd Annual Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (OHANCA) in April. From April 13th-19th, over 250 hospitals, clinics, and medical offices around the world were scheduled to provide free screening and education.

The HNCA can trace its roots to another famous figure to ultimately succumb to throat cancer – those of a certain age will remember Oscar winner Yul Brynner, who made an anti-smoking commercial that aired after his death. Brynner also established the Yul Brynner Foundation, which in 1997 merged with the Association for Head and Neck Cancer Awareness, founded by Dr. Terry Day.