KEN'S CANCER UPDATE

Innovation time.

Yesterday was an exciting one for me in my Car cer Journey. We tested an innovation that may enable me to speak acain.

There are a lot of new subscribers so here is some backbone my Cancer Journey. I was diagnosed with throat cancer in June 2023. I want through extensive radiation and chemo. But it didn't kill all the cancer. So I followed up with radical surgery in August 2024. I lost my larnyx to the disease.

I have an opening at the base of my neck, called a stoma, to breath m. It can be used to create a voice with a valve embedded in my esophagus that vibrates as I exhale. I need an airtight seal for this voicing to happen.

My stoma is too large and irregular in shape for the commercial products to create the air seal. So I haven't been able to speak sine early August.

My son came up with the idea of a custom prosthesis to enable the airtight seal. He used to work in film and knew makeup artists that created visual prosthesis for actors in films. He made contact and we gave a fellow working on a device for my stoma.

Team Ken

met yesterday in Edmonton with my speech therapist and tried out the first prototypes. It was very encouraging .We settled on two versions to do some more adaptations to create that elusive air seal.

The picture in this post is the mold created by a 3D printer from data collected by laser scanning of my neck an stoma area. The prosthesis fit marvelously. We just have to perfect the periphery and the filter base to get me the airtight seal.

I'm very excited about this innovative approach to adaptations that will hopefully get me speaking again.

The Journey continues.