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Andy A.’s Story
Andy A., age 55, lives in Texas. He started smoking cigarettes at age 15 to fit in with friends, but he hid his smoking from his family. He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for 32 years.
Andy was diagnosed with throat cancer from smoking. Andy’s treatment and recovery journey have been complex. In addition to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, he has needed multiple surgeries to remove the cancer, reconstruct his throat, and treat the significant scarring in his throat that makes it hard for him to swallow. As part of these surgeries, Andy’s larynx (voice box) had to be removed.
Andy did not realize that nicotine is powerfully addictive. He struggled to quit smoking, even while discussing his cancer diagnosis and treatment plan with his doctor. He was finally able to quit with the help of varenicline, a quit-smoking medicine that his doctor prescribed.
Andy’s wife, Debra B., became his primary caregiver. Debra is responsible for providing for Andy’s needs – making his meals, helping him dress, and managing his medications. She also coordinates his many medical and physical therapy appointments, manages their household, and takes care of their finances.
Andy breathes through a stoma in his throat. He speaks with the help of an electrolarynx, which is a medical device placed on the neck that makes vibrations to create an electronic voice.
“The thing about this that is the most upsetting to me is that I cannot speak to my grandson. He has never heard what my voice sounded like,” Andy says. “To him, this is just how his grandpa talks.”
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Andy A.’s Biography
Andy A., age 55, lives in Texas. He started smoking cigarettes at age 15 to fit in with friends, but he hid his smoking from his family. He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for more than 30 years.
Andy began having hoarseness in his voice in his mid-40s. He also developed a deep cough, which impacted his sleep. “It was painful, and I had a hard time talking,” Andy says.
Andy’s voice and throat problems got worse. A couple of years later, he developed a painful ache in his right ear. Andy visited his doctor, who diagnosed him with throat cancer from smoking. Andy’s journey through treatment and recovery has been complex. In addition to radiation therapy and chemotherapy, Andy needed three surgeries to remove the cancer, using muscle and skin from his legs to rebuild his throat. As part of these surgeries, Andy’s larynx (voice box) had to be removed. Andy developed a lot of scarring in his throat and has needed 37 surgeries to help widen his throat to help him swallow food. He has many scars from his surgeries, including scars on his legs from skin grafts for his throat reconstruction.
Andy did not realize that nicotine is powerfully addictive. He struggled to quit smoking, even while discussing his cancer diagnosis and treatment plan with his doctors. He was finally able to quit with the help of varenicline, a quit-smoking medicine that his doctor prescribed.
Andy breathes through a stoma (a surgically created opening) in his throat. He speaks with the help of an electrolarynx, a medical device placed on the neck that makes vibrations to create an electronic voice.
Andy’s wife, Debra, has become his primary caregiver. Debra is responsible for providing for all of Andy’s needs—making his meals, helping him dress, and managing and administering his medications. She also coordinates his many medical and physical therapy appointments and makes sure that he gets there safely. She manages their household and takes care of their finances. Andy relies on Debra to help him communicate when people have difficulty understanding his voice from his electrolarynx.
Andy is no longer able to speak Spanish. This is very hard for him as he had hoped to teach his grandson Spanish and share his cultural heritage. “The thing about this that is the most upsetting to me is that I cannot speak to my grandson. He has never heard what my natural voice sounded like,” Andy says. “To him, this is just how his grandpa talks.”
