was reach for a piece of paper. On
it he wrote ‘I’m alive!’ and gave it
to his wife. He’s never forgotten
that feeling. And if Dave’s
laryngectomy has given him a
second lease of life, he’s putting it
to good use.
work. Dave owns his own garage
and works hard for eleven months
of the year. Then, every winter,
he spends one month in Goa. He
loves the temperature and the
lifestyle and most of all, being able
to breathe so much more clearly.
To his credit, Dave does whatever
he can to make sure people know
at least a little bit of what to
expect of the operation, and of life
as a laryngectomy before they go
in for surgery. He regularly visits
people on the wards in Bristol and
gives them reassurance and good
humour. No wonder so many of
them join the Chatterbox Club.
“It’s how you deal with it that
matters”. Dave has been a
laryngectomee for seven years
now. It doesn’t worry him though.
Like so many of the people we talk
to, he’s pragmatic about it. “You’ve
just got to get on with your life
and make the most of it. There’s no
point feeling sorry for yourself, and
no point not doing whatever it is
you want to do.”
Even when he was still in hospital,
recovering from his op, Dave
spread his trademark good cheer.
He met with Ray on the ward
(another Chatterbox member) and
pulled quite a prank on him when
he dressed up in women’s clothes
– much to the amusement of the
staff and patients.
Even though Dave was told he’d
be in hospital for three – four
weeks, he was out in two. (And
that’s the target he sets for
new larys in Bristol to beat.) It’s
certainly a clear sign of the power
of positive thinking at work.
In no time at all, he was back at
“There are only two things I can’t
do – smell and swim.” Even though
he says that, it doesn’t stop Dave
getting in the water anyway.
Striding into the sea spray, water
rising higher and higher, he says
his wife has to look away. Poor
long-suffering Pam covers her eyes
and Dave adopts his unorthodox
method for keeping safe in the
sea. And no, we’re not going to tell
you what it is!
But as far as Dave is concerned,
life is for living – and he could
probably teach many of us a thing
or two about that. ?
Summer 2013 | THE VOICE
15