Hyderabad: Scores of ‘head and neck’ cancer survivors gathered at Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital on Monday, as part of their counselling and support group’s efforts to instill confidence in new patients.
Attacked by a group of cancers that develop in the mouth, throat, nose and salivary glands, life is not easy for them. Robbed of their voices and forced to speak through prostheses, they nevertheless manage to live their lives with their heads held high.
In 2015, C. Krishna Rao, a 66-year-old retired teacher from Visakhapatnam, was having trouble speaking.
“My voice became very low. When we went to the doctor, I was told I had cancer. I went through radiation therapy for six months. However, it was clear a surgery was needed. My voice box (larynx) was removed in July 2016,” he said. Later, he received a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis (TEP) transplant. Today, there is a hole between his collar bones, which he has to cover with his fingers every time he wants to speak. He does this to block the airflow into his lungs and force it through his mouth.
Rao, by his own admission, is leading a ‘normal life.’ “We (survivors) cannot breathe through our noses. We have to use our mouths. We also have to be careful while eating, since there is a chance of food particles getting lodged in our throats. But, other than that, everything else is normal. I have even travelled to the USA,” he said.
Rao’s voice is largely normal. However, others have been so fortunate. People like Sriramulu, who is in his mid-60s, have to speak through an “electro-larynx,” a cylindrical object that has to be pressed under the chin.
The voice is almost robotic. However, Sriramulu is happy with the fact that he can communicate with people.
His wife said, “When he underwent surgery in 2015, he would cry every day over his losing voice. Today, he is very happy. He insists on doing everything himself. He travels in RTC buses to the shop he works in. He buys his own train tickets. He even speaks to his grandchildren on the phone regularly.”
There were many patients who needed some confidence. K. Aruna, a housewife from Haliya in Nalgonda district, was diagnosed with cancer just a year ago. Two months ago, her larynx was removed. She is yet to learn how to speak from her esophagus. She was enthusiastically asking other patients how long it would take to speak. Her husband Kotesh said, “The doctors said she cannot get a TEP. She will get an electro larynx. Right now, I just want her to get better. She is unable to eat anything. She eats in very small portions.”
Survivors who overheard Kotesh’s anxious words assured him that his wife would get better soon.
Many survivors covered their throats with pieces of cloth — some men buttoned up their shirts to cover the holes in their throats. They belonged to a wide variety of backgrounds. For instance, Sathish Babu, 40, from Chittoor, was a daily wage labourer when he was diagnosed with mouth cancer. For three years, he has not been able to work. His wife works as a cook in an anganwadi centre to support their family with two children. Manda Krishna from Nellore district, who doesn’t have a tongue, continues to drive a school van in his native village.
Then there were people like Ravikumar from West Godavari district, who is unable to talk, whose chartered accountant son takes care of him.
Dr Chandrasekhar Rao, senior consultant in the hospital’s head and neck oncology department, said, “We want the survivors to interact with their peers. When they share their experiences, they have more confidence in their own treatment. Their attitude is very important in their recovery.”
Dr Chandrasekhar also said that many patients from underprivileged backgrounds were unable to buy the prosthesis that could help them talk. Support groups such as these help them get in touch with donors. For instance, two donors on Monday decided to donate five laryngeal voice prostheses to the hospital.
Life after cancer can indeed be tough. But the survivors said they were glad they had a support system to share their thoughts and fears with. A survivor from Madhya Pradesh said, “Believing that you can get better is half the battle won.”
