A Wright Turn
When Roy Wright had his
laryngectomy operation in 2011, he
couldn’t possibly have expected to
have made such a good recovery, so
quickly. And he surely wouldn’t have
thought he’d be taking the Standard
in the national Remembrance Day
service just a few months later.
But those who know him best –
particularly his wife and Macmillan
Head and Neck Cancer Nurse, Vikki
Mayes at Addenbrookes Hospital –
probably could have predicted it.
Roy’s a redoubtable fellow. He joined
the Royal Navy at just 15, and toured
most of the world, while on active
duty. Unfortunately that’s why he was
in the wrong place at the wrong time;
when the British government carried
out their nuclear tests in the south
Pacific in the 50s, Roy was there. And
it’s surely no coincidence that he, like
so many of those servicemen went on
to develop cancer in later life.
Last year, their claims for
compensation were dismissed by the
High Court. They were told that it was
too long since the medical problems
had emerged for anything to be done
about it now. That’s not necessarily
the end of the story; there are plans
for a book detailing the servicemen’s
story. We’ll keep you posted…
Roy Wright (left) at the Rememberance Day
service
More positively, Roy’s turnaround has
been amazing. He’s back to his active
best, he’s taught himself to speak
again and he’s taking an active part in
his local Lary group.
Standard Bearer
For the best part of twenty years now,
Roy has carried the Navy Standard
with honour at Remembrance Day
services and other formal occasions.
And nothing was going to stop him
from doing that: not having his voice
box removed, not radiotherapy or his
fight for compensation.
Roy Wright: still bearing the Standard
and still setting standards. ?
Summer 2013 | THE VOICE
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