Hell and Back? Maybe a Little...

How far I've come since March 16, 2026.

As many of you know, on March 16, 2026, I had a total laryngectomy and lost the ability to talk, among other things. Nearly four months later and I'm still experiencing some significant side effects including pain, swelling in the neck, blurred vision, and numbness in my left leg where they took tissue and veins to rebuild my neck.

I’m grateful for where I’m at these days, and looking at some old pictures from early April, and I realize how far I’ve actually come; I was a mess and my neck looked like raw beef, just a red and bloody mess. For a visual:

From early April of this year.

Today

I’ve got a long way to go still, but I’m happy to be alive. My PPC doctor said it best this week: back in February I went to the ER and they told me that my airway was so closed up that I was on the verge of dying. It sounds a bit dramatic but those are the facts and it was why I ended up taking a three-hour ambulance ride to Boston.

So I guess what I want to say is I’m thankful to still be here with you, to be slowly healing, and to be leading a somewhat normal life. I’m bored out of my flipping gourd right now, but i’m taking the time to properly recover and evaluate what my life looks like after surviving cancer twice.

I’m really grateful to have the support of people from around the world and that you continue to read whatever I happen to write about. I know talking about being sick and having cancer isn’t what you are used to from me, but it’s what is right in front of me right now and for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, thanks as always for reading my little screeds. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Until next time.

Best,

James.