Giving Patients a Voice

In the 1960s Bill Cutteridge worked in an Indiana factory producing shells for Vietnam. “I was an engine plant manager in a metal place.”

Back then, workers were not given masks, so Bill spent his days breathing in lead dust. In 2013, he was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent a total laryngectomy, and received a TEP, short for tracheoesophageal puncture. “A tracheal esophageal puncture is when the ENT goes in and surgically creates a puncture hole in between the trachea and the esophagus, and then implants a tracheal esophageal prosthesis in that hole, which is another way of giving them away to communicate,” explained Stacey Brill, a speech therapist at Lee Health.

Patients who qualify, typically receive the TEP three to six months after surgery. “You’re giving them back a lot of independence and freedom. They can use the phone now and people can understand them,” she said.

Lee Health speech therapist, Stacey Brill, teaches patients how to use their new voice. “I’m going to teach them breath support, how to maintain it, how to clean it, how to problem solve,” Brill said.

Bill transitioned from writing notes to communicate to be able to speak again with the TEP. “They come into the day after getting a puncture and they hear their voice for the first time, and their eyes just get huge,” she said.

Bill continues to adjust to his new normal and encourages patients to trust God and never lose hope.
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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.
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