A regional daily editor who was given the all-clear from throat cancer earlier this year has been told the illness has returned.
Dave Whaley, managing editor of the Oldham Evening Chronicle, was originally diagnosed with a malignant tumour on his vocal cords in May after developing a “croaky voice.”
He underwent a course of radiotherapy over the summer which he described in a series of first-person pieces in the paper under the title “Keep Smiling.”
But despite initially being given the all-clear after the treatment was concluded in August, he has now learned that the cancer is still present.
Oldham Chronicle editor Dave Whaley recounts the latest developments in his ongoing cancer battle
Dave, 53, underwent further laser surgery on his voice-box in an attempt to remove the tumour.
However he is is now facing the prospect of a full or partial laryngectomy after doctors told him that the latest treatment had been unsuccessful.
Wrote Dave: “It had been known all along that while laser surgery was my best chance of retaining a voice, the position of the tumour on the left vocal cord was always going to make it a tricky removal.”
He said his options were now “somewhat stark” – either the partial or complete removal of his larynx – and described himself as being “between the devil and the deep blue sea.”
He went on: “I may be heading for a hemilaryngectomy, which is the partial removal of larynx. This leaves you with some voice but can cause issues with the function of swallowing – it may lead to be being fed artificially.
“The other is a total laryngectomy which gets rid of the cancer altogether but takes the voice box with it. But you do retain the ability to eat and swallow.
“When I set out on this journey I thought it was a battle to keep my voice at all cost because of the job that I do.
“Now I am not so sure.”
Between May and August, Dave underwent 16 sessions of radiotherapy at Oldham’s Christie Hospital.
In a previous first-person piece, he recalled the moment his consultant told him: “Well the tumour has gone and the vocal cords look clear and normal.”
He told HTFP: “It’s not the news that I wanted but that’s how it goes. I will find out in the next couple of weeks what the timeline is.
“It all seems a bit of a blur at the moment… April (You have cancer) July (All clear) Sept (It’s back – or more accurately never went away) and now Nov (laser surgery not possible – voice box removal next step!)”
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Really, really sorry to hear this, especially as I had the pleasure of working with Dave as a former colleague of his on the Birmingham Mail.
I can only wish him the very best for his future treatment and whatever decision he ends up making.
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Very sorry to read this: puts many stories on here into perspective. Best wishes to you.
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Terrible news – good luck Dave, keep fighting and stay strong.
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Best wishes from the North East, Dave. Really enjoyed catching up down in Southampton, even though the news was sad. Keep smiling!
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Best of luck with the treatment, Dave.
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a friend is going through much the same battle. Like you, she fights on and we can only admire the courage involved. best wishes to you.
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Cancer always comes back with a vengeance as the initial “treat”ment (they treat symptoms instead of the cause) depletes the immune system thereby giving cancer an even better breeding ground for success! It’s not a dis-ease either, as we’ve been lead to believe, but, ironically, a protective response mechanism to a deeper underlying problem (the cause).
The body doesn’t suffer a lack of poison ( chemotherapy is a derivative of mustard gas which is classed as a biological weapon under the geneva convention but its ok to push into veins and to profit from) or chemicals which constitute all of modern “medicine” it suffers a lack of nutrients, vitamins and minerals and to date, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of men and women the world over have successfully *CURED their own TERMINAL cancers without the help of “Modern Medicine”. (Many people who were classed a terminal had several bouts of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery but were eventually told by their doctor/oncologist** to go home and get their finances in order, there was nothing more that could be done for them).
*the cancer act of 1939 allows no one to offer a cure for (and profit from the same), cancer and only registered (to promote the use of pharmaceutical medicines) doctors may “treat” patients. Hence why any registered medical doctor whom goes against the mainstay of medical indoctrination schools and colleges will find themselves swiftly removed from being able to “Practice” (look the definition up folks) medicine, unless he “falls back into line”.
If anyone wishes to discuss this matter more deeply and/or contact me to discuss it further, you are welcome.
** the Journal of Oncology stated that in a survey of 50000 patients spanning America and Australia chemotherapy was effective only 2.3 & 2.7 of the time, over NINETY-SEVEN percent of the time it is IN-effective for cancer patients.
You might want to read that again!
If chemotherapy is given as standard to all cancer patients yet its only effective for 2.3-2.7 percent of them, is there any wonder why the immune system is so depleted and so many people end up dying of toxicity and malnutrition and NOT cancer!
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As you so rightly say, ‘keep smiling’ Dave. You can beat this thing, and even if you lose your voice I reckon you’d become a star operating one of those mechanical boxes! (After all, look at Sir Ray Tindle!) Best wishes, old mate. Steve
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Sorry to hear this and wish you all the best in your tough battle.
PS. Is that correspondent Mark for real? He sounds a bundle of good cheer
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Hi Ted, True story! If only there were more journalists like John Pilger, instead of…well, I’ll let John explain, he does it so much better than me. “Why has so much journalism succumbed to propaganda? Why are censorship and distortion standard practice? Why is the BBC so often a mouthpiece of rapacious power? Why do the New York Times and the Washington Post deceive their readers? Why are young journalists not taught to understand media agendas and to challenge the high claims and low purpose of fake objectivity? And why are they not taught that the essence of so much of what’s called the mainstream media is not information, but power?” It continues. Very interesting and well worth anyone’s time who deigns to be the best they can be in journalism. http://johnpilger.com/articles/war-by-media-and-the-triumph-of-propaganda — https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HAGyXF80u2g – best wishes!
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