Mr. Tong smoked his first cigarette when he was 17 years old. He was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer at 58 years old and underwent a total laryngectomy to remove his larynx and vocal cords. As a cancer survivor, what are Mr. Tong's experiences and feelings on the matter?
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The narrative of laryngeal cancer survivor Mr. Tong
Smoking is harmful to our health. However, there are still over 600,000 current smokers in Hong Kong. Among the population aged 15 or over, at least 1 out of 10 are smokers. Mr. Tong is 64 years old, and he first smoked when he was still a minor. He smoked for more than 40 years and he smoked progressively more as time passed. One day, he found out that he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer; perhaps it was too late to quit smoking.
Mr. Tong was only 17 years old when he was offered a cigarette by his friends while they were smoking. Mr. Tong gradually formed the habit of smoking and eventually smoked 8-10 cigarettes every day. "When I worked as a taxi driver, I smoked whenever I was free or when there were no passengers. Eventually I smoked 2 packs of cigarettes every day." Mr. Tong said. Back then, he always had a cigarette in his hand, now it is replaced by an electrolarynx. He can only speak by placing it on his neck, as his larynx and vocal cords are removed due to the laryngeal cancer.
Sudden diagnosis of stage 3 laryngeal cancer
Mr. Tong's habit of smoking 1-2 packs of cigarettes lasted for many years. One day, Mr. Tong felt something stuck in his throat and had persistent fever that would not subside even after consulting with his doctor. In November 2014, he went for a further check up. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with stage 3 laryngeal cancer and he had to undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy. "My doctor told me that my case (laryngeal cancer) was mainly caused by smoking." Mr. Tong felt helpless when he heard the sad news. "Things became difficult, it badly affected my family and work." What was even more frustrating was that although he immediately quitted smoking and received treatments after diagnosis, he still suffered a relapse half a year later. He had to undergo a total laryngectomy to remove his entire larynx, including his vocal cords. He had to breathe with a stoma on his neck instead of nose and mouth, which seriously affected his daily life.
Drastic change in daily life
The ability to eat and speak are the most basic and important functions of life but were the most severely affected. "When I eat, I have to eat slowly. I cannot eat too fast, or I will choke easily. After the removal of my vocal cords, I cannot speak naturally. I can only rely on the electrolarynx to speak." Mr. Tong said. The difficulty of speaking makes it hard for him to socialize. "The inconvenience of speaking makes it difficult for us to make new friends, so I only socialise with those I used to know. It is impossible to make new friends, as no one would wait and listen to you carefully." Apart from this, only 20 percent of his ability to taste and smell have remained after the removal of his larynx. He can only smell or taste things with strong flavour, it thus greatly reduces the quality of his life.
Losing pleasures of life
Mr. Tong liked swimming since he was a child. However, he can no longer enjoy the pleasures of swimming after undergoing total laryngectomy. "To perform the total laryngectomy, I had my entire larynx removed and a stoma opened here (lower part of neck). I breathe through the stoma now, so I cannot get into the water. If water got in through the stoma, I would suffocate." Mr. Tong said. He still goes to the beach when he is free. He paddles with his hands in shallow water, trying to feel the pleasure of swimming. "I hope I can regain the feeling of swimming, but I cannot do it anymore. It's frustrating."
Smoking? A waste of time!
If he had the chance to meet his 17-year-old self, Mr. Tong would persuade him not to smoke as there would be many consequences in his future. He also advised smokers that if they want to quit smoking, try to meet less with friends who smoke, and try not to see cigarettes. "I hereby advise everyone, if you are still smoking, it is best to quit. It will affect your family and your job. Also, there are many no-smoking areas now, so why bother to smoke? It's a waste of time!" Mr. Tong said with smile. Even though the disease has brought him all kinds of pain and inconvenience, he continues to work hard to move forward.
Quit smoking and begin a new chapter of your life.