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A Patient's Story…Due to throat cancer I went into the hospital to have a surgical procedure called a total laryngectomy. This procedure is the total removal of the larynx (vocal chords) and leaves the patient without a voice. The day after my surgery I met Jacque Ater. From that day forward Jacque became the key player in guiding and coordinating all aspects of my recovery. |
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Jacque provided total care for both my physical and emotional recovery - from making sure the appropriate people saw me, to ordering the supplies I would need when I went home. She held meetings with my family, friends, and co-workers, teaching them about my surgery and what to expect in the future. This eliminated any fear and awkwardness I may have felt when seeing people for the first time after surgery. She made sure early on that I realized that although I had lost my voice I had not lost my ability to communicate. With a compassionate, yet assertive style she gently guided me as I tried to return to my life after this truly life-altering experience. Jacque made sure that when the time came for me to go home from the hospital that I had the confidence and knowledge to take care of myself. After going home I continued to see Jacque twice a week. She continued to handle all aspects of my recovery from health insurance and hospital billing questions to how my wife and kids were doing now that I was home. At one of my meetings with Jacque I told her about a minor complication that I had told the doctor about over the phone. My next visit at the doctors was two weeks away and he decided that it did not need to be moved up. When I showed Jacque she called the doctor's office and had my appointment moved up to the next day. When I saw the doctor he looked and said it was a good thing Jacque called because he wanted to take immediate action. As my recovery moved along I started to learn esophageal speech. At this time Jacque's expertise as a speech pathologist became evident. She was able to motivate me while always making it very clear that the goals and responsibility for those goals were mine. I returned to work five weeks after my surgery. My life has pretty much returned to normal. The one constant throughout my ordeal was the stability and compassion that Jacque provided in the face of a totally overwhelming situation. The only thing I had to worry about was getting better; Jacque took care of everything else. She pulled all aspects of my care together to ensure that all parties were providing the best care possible. I truly believe I had a guardian angel looking over me and her name was Jacque Ater.
*Used with permission. The patient's name has been withheld in order to protect his privacy. |
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