Brexit: Michael Morpurgo and Robert Tombs have 'polite' debate
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Hertfordshire born Morpurgo, now 78, rose to notoriety for writing children’s books which are now an important part of the curriculum in British schools. In the books, the prolific writer reveals unique perspectives. After the treatment for his larynx cancer, he wrote about his experience with the disease in the same way.
In the Spectator’s diary section, the author of War Horse wrote: “By 74 it is easy to feel that you have seen it all, done it all, that nothing much surprises you any more.
“Even an unwelcome medical diagnosis does not surprise you. You cope because you have to. You know it’s what happens to us all.
“Friends and family much younger have been ill, and suffered long; some have fallen off the perch younger than I am now. I’ve been a lucky old parrot.”
There are more than 2,000 cases of larynx cancer in the UK but the condition is more common in over 60s, according to the NHS.
Morpurgo was given radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden hospital to treat his larynx cancer or voice box, which he wrote vividly about.
He describes distracting himself from the “whirring and clunking of the machine” as well as “those life-prolonging rays beaming into you” by thinking about friends and family, and the young people who had read his books.
“They were all the hope I needed, lying there in that hospital being healed,” he said.
“It wasn’t only the radiotherapy doing the healing. It was the memories of those children too. They helped me through, helped me to keep hoping, keep believing. They still do, every day,” he added.
Radiotherapy is one of many types of treatment that larynx cancer patients may have to go through.
The main types of treatment also include chemotherapy, targeted cancer medicines, and/or larynx removal (laryngectomy).
Early-stage laryngeal cancer may be removed using surgery or radiotherapy alone, but more larger cancers may require a combination of other treatments or extensive surgery.
Radiotherapy in particular uses radiation energy to destroy cancerous cells.
Cancer therapy can have an effect on the patient’s emotions, sometimes leading to depression.
Talking about the emotional impact of cancer for him, Morpurgo said to PA Media: “Suddenly the disease became central to my life at home, and to my work.
“It had to be confronted, dealt with, both surgically and psychologically.”
However, the author was also grateful he managed to survive the cancer.
“Now, with excellent prospects for a full recovery, with my voice finding new strength, I have time to look back at the whole experience, at how fortunate I have been,” he said.
Larynx or throat cancer often begins in the flat cells lining the inside of your throat, according to Mayo Clinic.
The symptoms may include:
- A cough
- Your voice becoming hoarse
- Difficulty swallowing
- Earache
- A Lump that doesn’t heal
- Weight loss
You should visit your GP if you have any new signs or symptoms that persist.
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