Finding His Voice Through University Hospitals
John K. Morton put his complete faith in his caregivers when he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. "Well, look, my life is in your hands," John remembers telling the doctor. "Whatever you tell me that I need to do, that's where we're going."
With his cancer diagnosis, John opted for a total laryngenctomy, which removes the voice box as part of the procedure. After a successful procedure, John was rid of cancer, but also lost his ability to speak. That's when he turned to care at UH Ear, Nose & Throat Institute and met institute director Nicole Maronian, MD, FACS, and Director, UH Ear Nose & Throat Institute.
Dr. Maronian was appointed Chair, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, UH Cleveland Medical Center in 2018 and, in 2020, was named the inaugural Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Leadership Chair in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
"He was ecstatic, he was cured...but he was having a real problem because he couldn't communicate," shared Dr. Maronian. "We went through options with him at the Voice Center to talk about how to get his voice back, which ultimately gets him his life back."
Dr. Maronian referred John to Tracey Newman, MA, CCC-LP, Speech Language Pathologist, who met with John to see if he was a candidate for a tracheoesophageal puncture. This procedure allows for a voice prosthesis to be utilized by the patient to form sounds with air. For John, the procedure changed his life. After being unable to speak for about six months after his laryngenctomy, John was able to speak again.
UH Ear, Nose & Throat Institute is one of the premiere programs in the country for diagnosing and treating ear, nose and throat disorders and is a nationally recognized leader in otolaryngology research. The institute has a rich legacy of discovery and innovation and a proven track record for training some of the nation's leading otolaryngologists and ENT surgeons.
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