71-year-old Mike has been under the care of The Royal Marsden since 2010 for recurrent and aggressive head and neck cancer. He underwent emergency tracheostomy surgery in September 2022 and was referred to the hospital's psychological support service as he struggled to deal with the impact surgery had on his life.
The help he has received from the service, which is supported by funding from The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, has had a hugely positive impact on Mike’s mental health, helping him navigate being left with a stoma in his throat.
“The story begins in 1992 — 32 years ago — with nodules on my vocal cords. These kept on being removed and coming back, so over the next five years I had more than 12 biopsies and procedures to laser the cancer away."
“But in 2010 a more aggressive cancer was found. I had radiotherapy treatment here at The Royal Marsden for about a month or six weeks and the cancer disappeared. Unfortunately, despite this treatment, the cancer returned in 2016 and then again in 2019 and 2022.”
Receiving a life-changing tracheostomy
“Biopsies, laser treatment, regular check-ups, chemotherapy, I feel I’ve had it all. In October 2022, a scan at The Royal Marsden showed new cancer in my lungs. As a result of that, a planned total laryngectomy – which would've been a complete removal of my voicebox – was cancelled two days before it was due to happen. I was on chemotherapy for six months and I have nearly finished a two-year immunotherapy trial called Aspen04. I have three more treatments left and I'm at the Medical Day Unit every three weeks.
“The most dramatic intervention was having the emergency tracheostomy. This had a major life-changing effect on me and I am only gradually beginning to feel better since it was removed on 13 May, the day before my birthday.”
The positive impact of the Psychological Support Service
Mike then began receiving psychological support, working with Sara Lister (Oncology Counsellor/Psychotherapist).
“I did not know there was this service available and although my memory of those days is a little blurred, suddenly one day, Sara was there. And all I can say now is, thank God she was!
“I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak to someone, even though for the first four months I could not actually speak at all. As a result of the cancer operation on my vocal cords and the ‘tracky’, I could not talk and our first sessions were done over the computer, with Sara speaking to me with me typing my answers back."
“Eventually my “voice” or a very breathy, tiny, quiet version of it, returned and we did talk by computer until we agreed I was well enough to attend sessions in person at the Markus Centre.
I honestly don’t think I’d have got here without this psychological support. It has, for me, been a lifesaver.
“It has not always been easy, I had some huge problems living with the tracky and I absolutely hated it.
“I was able to tell Sara in great detail about my feelings. Although I have had great support from my family — my partner Gill and friends too up to a point — she was the only person I could really tell in detail what I was feeling. I don’t know where I would be now without her understanding, her professionalism and her guidance.
“Knowing I am going to have a session gives me a feeling of security knowing there will be some kind of release for the tension that builds up. While I had the tracky, I was very depressed, but Sara has helped me so much; she has helped me survive what I hope was “the worst” and now that period of my life is behind me forever. I feel I still need Sara’s support, but things may be easier now the tracky has gone.”
Life after Mike’s tracheostomy removal
“I am now living with a small stoma in my neck, the tangible after-effects of where the tracky was. While I am delighted the tracky has gone, I am still facing considerable physical challenges, cleaning and living with a hole in my throat. I'm scheduled in for surgery to have it stitched and sealed up later this year, so I don’t feel I am out of the woods yet.
“But mentally, slowly, I am feeling more like my old self. I still have virtually no voice, and I still have some real concerns about the future, but generally, I feel I am in a far better place than I have been since September 2022.”
“I am not exaggerating when I say that I have always felt totally looked after and in the best place to deal with my disease. Every single doctor, every nurse, every assistant, has been totally superb. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”
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