March 2012

Name Of Column Author Title Article TypeNews Views Pat Sanders Treasure Trove News & EventsVoicePoints Kimberly Unger LMSW The Other Side Of Healing Education-MedSpeaking Out Members Foods You Enjoy Eating OpinionNuf-Sed Bob Keiningham May I Help You-Part Two CommentaryBetween Friends Donna McGary Seen Better Days CommentaryThe Speechless Poet Len Hynds Keeping With Management PoetryWOTW Editor Bill Rose Perth Western Australia ExperienceWOTW Editor Debi Austin Los Angeles ExperienceNew Members Listing Welcome News & Events

Treasure Trove I had the occasion last week to want some information from the past medical problems of other members and insteadof writing to the list, I went to our archives of the list, which has all emails written to WebWhispers since lateNovember, 2005.

I had to go in for a test, a Carotid Doppler, and I wanted to know what other experiences were and if there werethings I needed to know beforehand. So, I went to the email Daily Whispers and used the word Carotid in the search

things I needed to know beforehand. So, I went to the email Daily Whispers and used the word Carotid in the searchsection and pulled up 140 messages. Reading what they wrote soothed my anxiety since they described results fromjust keeping a check on it, folks who had procedures done, successfully, and some descriptions, step by step.

I am lucky. They called me yesterday and said, no need to worry and we will add this to the tests we do yearly. Greatrelief but, if I had needed to go for a procedure, I had already learned enough about it and how well our people camethrough it, that it would not have been as scary.

Over 6 years of daily emails! What a great source of material that we so often neglect. You can look up all messageswritten, by date, by thread (conversation), or general subject or you can search for specifics.

How to get there: Look at the bottom of your email that came through the list and there are links to several importantparts of WebWhispers that you might like to go to often. Click on the link by Daily Whispers.

You may wish to read messages from current times back or you might like to read by thread (conversation), but fornow, think about the "search".

The chart comes up with 20 messages. At the bottom it says:"Search for messages within this mailing list which contain the following keywords": a blank for you to type in.Fill in a word or two but they must be words from the body of the message! not from the Subject. click on Search.

A hint is to start with the main word and see how many you get. It may be 80 but they will be there almost before youcan look up to see. If it is far too many, add another word. Be sure you spell it right. Keep it simple.

At the top of the results, an arrow! left takes you back and right takes you forward. If no arrow on one side, no morein that direction will be found.

Have fun. You will see a lot of daily messages with whatever subject you look for, selected out of approximately25,000 messages that have gone through our list in this time. Truly a Treasure Trove.

Enjoy,Pat W SandersWebWhispers President

The Other Side of HealingBy Kimberly Unger LMSW

By Kimberly Unger LMSWMD Anderson Cancer Center

The physical aspect of healing after a laryngectomy is all encompassing and the learning curve is steep. The vitalfunctions of eating, breathing and speaking must be relearned and adapted in correlation with the extent of thesurgery and treatment. These changes that occur, throughout treatment, affect the very core of the patient’s sense ofself as it changes not only how a person eats and talks but how they look.

The patient’s body image is not all that is affected;how they function within and are treated by our society alsochange. Getting used to this “new normal” takes a great deal of time, as well as mental and physical energy. With thenecessary focus on the physical part of recovery, the psychosocial aspect of healing can be easily pushed to thebackground. It is important that the medical team be knowledgeable and comfortable with encouraging the patientand family to express the stressors that they are experiencing in the recovery.

Anxiety and stress, not surprisingly, are common in the newly diagnosed patient. The uncertainty of the treatmentcourse and prognosis leads to these extremely understandable feelings. Being able to help normalize these feelingscan help decrease the negative effect on the patient’s ability to cope and function. Self-isolation can be anotherunfortunate side effect of treatment. This can happen naturally as the patient’s lifestyle is changed by his/her surgeryand recovery.

Staying away from social settings can be easier than facing feelings of self-consciousness about their alteredappearance or that eating or communicating is not the same. The greater incidence of extreme fatigue can also be afactor in becoming more isolated. Depleted energy and the increased need for sleep can naturally lead to this.Another contributing factor is less obvious but very important and it is financial stress. Treatment and rehabilitation islong and costly and further constrains an already stressed family dynamic. The highs and lows of emotions andphysical changes can be like a roller coaster ride, thrilling, but not exactly in a good way!

As time passes and recovery progresses, the anxiety and stress decrease. A good support system can help relievestressors as well. Especially for the laryngectomy patient, support from family and friends and peer support canprovide the unconditional acceptance and understanding that is so important in recovery. Peer support provides thepractical and personal "been there, done that" advice that can reduce the fear of the unknown and provide a positiveincentive to new patients.

Since head and neck cancers are less than 5% of the cancers diagnosed, finding a support network in the communitycan be challenging. The Internet, of course, has made access to on-line support groups and information generallyeasier to find and join in. Other good resources for information and support are Social Workers. Social WorkCounselors lead support groups and also provide one on one counseling. They can be found in private practice orwithin hospitals.

It is important for patients and the professionals that care for them keep all aspects of recovery in mind throughoutthe entire journey of a laryngectomy patient. Balance, perspective and support are the key to making each day betterthan the last.

Seen Better Days

I have just spent the last two weeks battling something my pulmonologist said was likely bronchitis but we agreed that“undetermined lung crud” was probably just as accurate. When I finally was able to drag myself into his office hechided me for not invoking his 100 degree rule. Any temperature over 100 degrees, call the office and he willprescribe an antibiotic first, ask questions later. With temps that spiked to 103 over the weekend that probably wouldhave been helpful. Fever dreams are really weird. Thankfully I have a whole arsenal of breathing meds, so as I lay onthe couch, under a mountain of quilts to combat the chills , hooked up to my nebulizer, listening to the extraordinaryrange of snap, crackle and pops produced by my breathing, I marveled that one could feel so miserable and not be atdeath’s door. I knew I was pretty sick, but I was also pretty sure I wasn’t in imminent danger.

Once, when my son checked on me as I was starting to recover, I told him, I couldn’t believe I could feel so crummyand still say I was feeling better. This bug knocked the stuffing out of me, that’s for sure. Puttering around the kitchenlast night, actually thinking about cooking a real meal, I remembered something I read years ago by Mark Twain.

Only he who has seen better days and lives to see better days again, knows their value.

Ain’t that the truth! Time and time again I have marveled at the resiliency of the human body and spirit. We arewitness to that every day, not just here on WW, in the lary community, but in the wider world where people battlenatural disasters, terrible wars and oppression, grinding poverty and terrible disease. Out of all of that horror, whatkeeps us from going mad with despair are the stories we hear about hope and courage and determination to see“better days again”.

Battling a nasty virus is pretty small potatoes compared to that or to facing a new cancer diagnosis or life-changingsurgery. But it woke me up and made me appreciate, anew, the beauty of simple daily life. Three days ago, taking ashower left me weak, wracked with coughs and fearful as with each wheezing breath my airways tightened . Today Iwent to the grocery store and carried all my bags back up a flight of stairs. I was winded and wheezing, but Irecovered pretty quickly. A small victory, but a victory nevertheless.

Most of us do not have grand cinematic victories, at least not on a regular basis! We have to settle for the small butsignificant. Like the first time a lary speaks in a new voice or the first time he goes out with the old crowd. The firsttime a lary and her spouse go to the IAL and walk into a room full of folks just like themselves and realize they are notalone. The first time you make up a “song” about the bad roads in Maine “bumpity-bumpity-bump” as you drive yourgrand-daughter home and she laughs and cries delightedly, “ Sing it again, Nana!” and you realize even a Servox canmake music.

It is no small irony that our better days can only be appreciated if we have known the worst days. And apparently we

need to have some bad times on a fairly regular basis otherwise it is just so easy for us to get complacent when timesare good. Complacency is the bane of all our better days.

are good. Complacency is the bane of all our better days.

So as you slog through another bad spell, think of it as just sharpening your appreciation for the better days to come.

Question of the Month What foods do you enjoy eating and tasting since your surgery? Has thischanged?

Angelique Erickson, San Antonio, Texas - Sep 2010

I am so glad this topic came up. Just the other day, for the first time in who knows how long. . .I ate a whole caesarsalad, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. Really demonstrated how far into the recovery of my natural eating habitsI've come since surgery. To say I am pleased, is an under statement. (Smile)

Jim Fohey, Oscoda MI - Oct 1994

My life changed forever when I became a laryngectomee. At that time, I owned a restaurant and was the head chef.We made everything from scratch and to order, so if you ordered seafood fettuccine Alfredo, we made the Alfredosauce to order. Now, making sauces and other things, like soups, I have to be able to taste in order to be sure theflavors have melded. Upon my return to the kitchen, nothing tasted as I have remembered which creates a bigproblem in my business. I had to have others that worked with me taste stuff I had made to be sure it tasted as itshould. After a couple of years, a lot of my taste came back though I wondered if it was back or had I just moved onand now it tasted the way it did to me and different to some one else? Who knows? The important thing was that thecustomers said everything was as it always had been, or better. As a chef, you can’t ask for anything more than that.Now, 2012, most everything tastes great, except chocolate. I never did get back my complete taste for it. It justdoesn’t taste as good as it did. But that is OK. I am here and that is what is important to me, not the taste ofchocolate.

Libby Fitzgerald, Sherman, CT - 1998Cancer survivor since 1993

Since my surgery, I can no longer eat anything peppery hot or I get a major coughing fit. I really enjoy chili, but canonly fix a mild version with some sour cream on the side to calm down the heat. Over the years, I've lost a lot ofweight, unintentionally, so I eat anything and everything to take in more calories.

Strawberry shortcake anyone?

Linda Palucci, FL - 2002

At first my surgeon told me to avoid eating salads. But that was only a few weeks if I remember correctly. I reallyenjoy soup, but I always did. I can eat just about anything. I want to, I never really liked spicy, salty foods, now I likethem even less. And it seems to me that restaurants are spicing the heck out of the food these days.

Pam OLeary, Epping, NH - August 2011

Radiation, prior to laryngectomy, was October through December 2010. It has been a challenge eating. A significantimprovement since my 3 month checkup after the surgery. A problem occurred when apparently my TEP valve wastoo big and sticking out the other side. I had to constantly was everything down with water. I could not swallow pills.

One of my favorite foods is Apple Squares from the cafeteria at work. The perfect combination of taste and moisture.The other perfect combination was the Cranberry Bliss bar at Starbucks, but alas, they have discontinued that. I relyon mixed foods; chicken casserole with a soup mix with the chicken and the chicken is cut-up finely. I can eat steak insmall quantites and small pieces. Fish is always a good choice; it is the right level of moisture. Salads with chickenwings for the protein. I tend to rely on protein drinks - Svelte Chai flavor is a good mix of calories, protein andvitamins. I have found my diet has dwindled and still wonder what works and what does not work.

I've developed pain recently; the doctor says my nerves are waking up. As a result, taking ibuprophen throughout theday. Pills that I normally could swallow all of a sudden get caught in my throat ... to the point where I cannot evendrink water. I finally remembered the method to cough it up. So, I guess my point is that it is still challenging and new,never quite sure what will or will not work.

Bernie Manski - 2010

THE BIGGEST THING I MISS IS COFFEE. Still can not get a good taste. Never had rad or kemo. Most of the things Ieat taste more when reheated and, boy, does that taste good. The best thing was Lake Erie perch. It is finally comingaround so I can taste it again. If you never had Perch or Walleye off the lake, it is better than lobster.

But the primerib is what I really loved. Still can't get the full flavor. So you Larys out there, don't fret. Everything willget better in time. Like it has been said, nothing comes right away and we prove to ourselves, we can do it. Ourcaregivers do their job so we have to, too. this is my 1st time im doing this. I hope it is OK. Without this site we wouldbe nowhere. Thanks everybody for all your help. God be with you.

Mohan Raj, Bangalore, India - Mar 2010

No change. Food habits have slowly come back to be the same as before surgery.

Len Hynds, Ashford, Kent, England ( Speechless Poet) - June 2004

Before my operation, I really enjoyed food and would never say no to any new delight and flavour. However, since myoperation, when complete re-plumbing was done, I found that my 'gullet' would only accept much smaller pieces offood and, with meat, the chewing had to be constant for minutes at a time So much so that I now rarely eat meat assuch, and poultry has mostly taken over. As I now cook for myself and knowing the importance of fresh vegetables, I

such, and poultry has mostly taken over. As I now cook for myself and knowing the importance of fresh vegetables, Isuppose my favourite dish now is a casserole. It suddenly becomes like an old fashioned stew, with all theingredients, If only I could smell it. It always tastes delicious, especially when there is a foot of snow outside.

Dick Strauss, Elk Grove Village, IL - 2007

Since becoming a lary, most foods taste about the same to me; however, that doesn't discourage me from trying allkinds of food. I'm particularly drawn to Mexican/Spanish dishes. I like well seasoned, spicy creations. My sense ofsmell doesn't add much to the food experience so it's just eat and be done with it. As a widower, I prepare most of mymeals. What gives me great joy is having my lady friend join me for dinner.

I'm a big walker out of doors and can tell you whenever I'm near Krispy Kremes plant, I can smell doughnuts cooking.Same with diesel engine vehicles and cigarette smoke, all stinks.

Mike Cohn, Wheeling, IL - Oct 2010

After my chemo & radiation in 2007, most of the things I ate had very muted tastes. After a few more months thingsbegan tasting like they used to, although even now my taste buds are not where they used to be. What I missed mostwas peanut butter and peanuts. It took a few years of healing, or whatever, but about a year ago the taste came backto me. Now I enjoy it a couple times a week, just like I used to.

Gayle Garriott - 2003

I have found I don't like meat at all but eat fish and sometimes chicken. Catsup and lemon have a completely differenttaste than I remember. Kind of acidic.

Aaron Futterman - Dec 2010

Frankly "speaking," I was glad to be able to eat anything I could swallow in the weeks following my surgery. As Ihealed, I was able to enjoy almost all my favorite food and drink, especially the morning cup of coffee. I probably eatmore yogurt than ever before and that's a good thing. I know with the loss of smell, not all foods taste as good as theyused to, but seasoning helps. Hope all of you are able to cope and adjust, as most of us have....not a bad deal afterall.

Lynn Foti, Akron, OH - 2009

After my laryngectomy, I had to have an esophageal reconstruction. (a new esophagus was created from skin frommy inner forearm, a vein, and an artery). I was not allowed to have even a tiny sip of water for nearly 7 months. I amhalf Sicilian, and we thrive around food, cooking, eating, and socializing. All of my nutrution came through a peg tube.I even dreamed about eating.. lol. When the doctor was sure I could drink again, I drank vast quanities of water, andfor some strange reason, chocolate milk! I guess my sweet tooth kicked in big time. Several weeks later, I was told totry a little food, and had some chicken rice soup. And lo and behold, the rice got stuck in my esophagus! I had a heckof a time getting it out, but finally was able to do it. Needless to say, I had to have my throat stretched several timesbefore I could eat real food. Even now, I have to be very careful and take small bites, and chew thoroughly. I amscheduled for one more dilation in May, and then should be good. I enjoy my spicy Italian food the most. Love chili,and hot mexican dishes. And still have my sweet tooth in high gear. It is so good to be able to eat again! It issomething most of us have never thought about, but makes you a lot more considerate of someone who is in theposition you were once in. In fact the whole experience has made me a lot more understanding of things others gothrough just to sustain life. What a world we live in! The miracles that can be done now by medical science!Awesome.

Steve Staton - 2007

This is one I couldn't pass up. I was born and raised on a farm, and meals were an event, Besides myself and my 5siblings, were the hired hands. It was always bountiful, with chicken, porkchops, or beef, homemade bisquits andgravy, and home churned butter. We always had potatoes, and vegetables, that were canned from our own crops,and milk straight from the source. Eating is one of my favorite things.

Then the surgery. On the tube for 9 months. Then back to trying to develop an appetite. It did not go that well at first, Iwas disappointed to say the least. I couldn't eat any kind of meat. It all tasted spoiled, one bite, and I was gagging.Vegtable soups, and pasta without meat, fruits, and teas seemed like a dismal existence to me.

Several months after I was off the tube We went to my daughter's home where her husband decided he was going toput me back on the meat wagon. I think it was the first thing I had smelled since my surgery, mmmmmmmmmmmmmbrisket on the smoker. Somehow, without warning, my tastebuds were resurrected. I'm back, and so is the flavor. Ismoke meats for fun, and enjoyment, tri-tip roasts, picnic shoulders, ribs (beef, and pork), chickens, and hams. Alongwith homemade baked beans, potato salad, and coleslaw. Also, let's not forget grilling a good Ribeye steak, hard tobeat.

All the flavor is back, along with the aroma, ahhhhhhhhhhh, life is good. It took a year or so, but eating is every bit asenjoyable as it was as a kid growing up on a farm. I hope all of you either enjoy the flavor or your meals as much as Ido, if not now, I'm sure you will in the near future.

Jim Olcott, Bakersfield, CA - 2010

Prior to my surgery, I was a big meat eater and enjoyed all types of foods. For a period of about six months aftersurgery, my diet was somewhat regulated by the use of a feeding tube and then the slow healing of my esophagus,which had to be stretched. After that, I began slowly reintroducing normal food back into my diet. Today, I enjoy meatagain but in much smaller quantities as it takes time to chew it sufficiently to swallow. I enjoy pastas with lots of saucefor the ease of swallowing and I love ice cream. Having had two sessions of radiation and the damage to the salivaryglands, I lean towards the foods that have a lot of natural moisture. In any event, I have to consume a lot of waterwhen I eat so I fill up fairly quickly. As a result, I am able to maintain my weight at a manageable level. I use to lovepopcorn but for some reason, I shy away from it thinking it might clog up my tep prothesis. Maybe someone canalleviate my concerns? Bottom line, I have returned to normal eating and am extremely greatful to be able to tasteagain even though my sense of taste is not as strong as it once was.

Part One may be found at http://webwhispers.org/news/feb2012.asp May I Help You? - Part TwoTIMEHere’s a silly example: what if I handed you $1440.00 at 12:01 tomorrow morning and told you to spend it beforemidnight, or give it back to me? I expect a new sense of urgency would be the result. That's exactly what we need forthree kinds of activity that account for most of the time we spend on this bright blue planet we call earth.

The first is Reflective activity. That is, the time we spend in study, planning, organizing and preparing for ourproductive activities. I think of it as the time a woodchopper spends in sharpening his ax, planning his work, andorganizing his workspace. I often sail into some project or activity only to discover that I should have put a little moretime into those reflective activities before I began.

The second is Productive activity. That is the time we invest in some activity from which we expect a reward orbenefit. A world class time and efficiency expert said it just right when he said, "The work will always expand to fill thetime available". I know this to be true because when I fail to set a time frame (start-stop deadlines) for a productiveactivity, I find that my "pace of play" is often pretty lackadaisical!

The third activity upon which we spend our time is incredibly important, but it seems to me that most folks let it get alljumbled up with "Reflective" or "Productive" activities most of the time and thus rob themselves of the benefits to beenjoyed from the time they invest in periods of "R&R". Rest and Relaxation or I could say Real Rest and RealRelaxation, because when we allow stuff to crowd in on the time we set aside for R&R it never provides us with thefull recuperative effect we should demand of it!

Everyone is indeed different, but my pursuit of better time management involves three major areas of my life: (1) Thethings I must do. (2) The things I should do. (3) The things I would like to do. I work to do #1 better and faster, and #2better and more often, because that work provides more time for #3.

You may have guessed by now that I put a lot of thought into better time management each year because TIME is mymost limited resource. That brings me to the most unlimited resource we all possess and that is our ability to THINKabout anything we choose to think about at any point in time and under any circumstance. I want to talk aboutthinking, but first, let me ask you about your favorite sport. Is it football? Or baseball? Or soccer? Or maybe boxing?Or maybe you don't have a favorite sport? OK, now let me ask you why? Why do you favor that sport, or no sport atall?

But wait, first let me ask you who you think will be our next President of the U.S.

That's enough! See what I mean? We're free to think about anything we choose, anytime we want to. And I plan tomanage my thoughts a little better each month throughout this new year.

Next Month - THOUGHTS

Next Month - THOUGHTS

Bob Keiningham

Keeping in with management

I have been thinking of the wonders of present day communication. It is a source of amazement to me, who was bornin the age of semaphore and smoke signals, those days when one had time to think before sending a message. Buteverything today is instantly sent to the most obscure part of our planet, and it has been of inestimable value topeople like us laryngectomees. Since I started writing for WhispersOnTheWeb in October 2009, I have made somany friends throughout the world, that I now regard it as a great family, with that special strength that a family gives.

I realise that our members encompass many religions, but god is god in any religion. I am not a regular church goer,although I have my own inner beliefs, and I do have two friends, both ladies as it happens, one the chaplain at mylocal hospital, and the other the priest at our parish church. I jokingly tell them that as they have an 'in' with topmanagement, I expect them to put a good word in for me, when the time comes. I'm no fool !

So with a religious flavour, I have composed a " Thank you to god poem" ( Just in case) !

SEND TO: GOD dot COM

Every single evening,as I'm lying in my bed,

This simple little prayer,keeps running through my head.

God bless all my family,

wherever they may be,keep them warm and safe from harm,

for they're so close to me.

And god,there is one more thing,I wish that you might do.

Hope you don’t mind me asking,please bless my computer, too.

You see, this little metal box,holds more than odds and ends.

Inside those small compartments,rest so many of my friends.

So when you update your heavenly list,on your own great CD-ROM,

bless everyone who sends a prayer,straight up to God dot Com.

Letters to the Editors

Bill Rose, 2009Perth Western Australia

My wife and I met you in Kansas City last year. I am the Ossie from Perth Western Australia. I am sitting here in Perthin about 98 degrees Fahrenheit heat and reading the Feb WebWhispers newsletter!

Once again you and your team have excelled. The stories and the input from people from your membership are reallygreat and inspiring. We are a bit different over here with no groups (the second Lary I ever saw was at theconference. I was blown away to see so many.), so WebWhispers has been a real lifeline for me and I read it all the

time. I have been very lucky with the way things have gone with me. I am still employed and feel really well but I justadmire the people, so much, who write in with their problems and their positive spirit in how they tackle the issues.They are fantastic.

As you would be aware, sometimes we all get a bit down but the Newsletters are always uplifting and just seem tomake life better.

I must say, I really enjoyed the USA when we were there for the conference, we went via New Zealand, then to SanFranscisco, Las Vegas to see Grand Canyon, then to Kansas City, for the IAL conference, on to Washington, DC,(which I really liked) then to NY, which was great. Next we went to Canada, to Toronto and train over to Vancouverthen down the West coast by train to LA, flew to NZ and home.

In all, just over 7 weeks of travelling and enjoyed every minute of it, the irony is I probably wouldn't have done that if Idid not have the Operation! Just goes to show there really are opportunities that can be made out of direcircumstances.

So you and your team keep up the good work!!

Debi Austin, Los Angeles 1992

I have been following the conversations on communication until I just wanted to sit and cry for the pain many of youare enduring. This is not easy, no matter how prepared we think we are. Not only are we dealing with the devastationof loss, emotional fear and physical pain, those are just the first few steps.

Many people on this group were talkers on many levels. You were out going, social, perhaps in the sales, teaching,guidence industry's. I know we have had a reverend, a politician, a policeman, teachers on every level, people thatdaily carried on chit chat and instructions to help other people lives, great or small. And now we can't help but seethundering silence in our near futures. Talk about being thrown in the spin cycle?

Very few people are happy with the sound of any mechanical voice when first heard. And yet some dream that theywould have that option. Very few people produce clear sound first time out with a TEP. Those that do are awesome,but then they go home and work on the voice they want, now that they have one. I have never heard a laryngectomeesay, "Oh I still sound the same as the first year." Just does not work that way. We progress because we know we canand are stubborn.

But getting past the sound, stay with me for a moment. Before, you chatted, you would sing your favorite lyrics,maybe sing to a child or read them a book. But at this stage you only speak the barest of answers. You do notindulge the person you are because of the change and the "appearance" of limits. When you work on speaking yourmind, your voice will be amazingly fine, because you are back mentally, not just a voice! Speaking is not simply thesound of your voice but the heart and mind that makes those words important.

I am/was? an esophageal speaker, I have had to use my CooperRand for the past few months. I have never beenshy, don't ask if you don't want my answer. I often speak publicly, with or without invitation. I read the note, the otherday, from the gentleman that had problems with the sound of the instrument and the lack of response from people. Iwanted to cry. Then my phone rang. Not someone I wanted to talk to. During the course of 5 minutes she askedsomething I thought deserved a foul answer but said something else instead. She said, "I can't understand you." Forthe first time in 19 years my immediatel response was, "That is really not my problem, is it?" For years, I repeatedmyself trying to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Because we often are faced with ill mannered people that see there is a situation and do little, if anything, to alter it,why do we have to step up? It is usually our money they are wanting for something. If so, this accomplishes a numberof things, first it makes you feel good that you see yourself as a valuable person. Second, it teaches them that theyare not the only people in the world and it can be done without negative baggage.

Mutual of Omaha has a commercial showing a lady of retirement age talking about this great opportunity to recycleherself. This WebWhispers group has been teaching that for many, many years. We have pros, non pros, poets,SLP's and medics of many levels but, most important, we have the lady or the guy across town that has done it andmay be able to provide us with a short cut. Don't sell yourself short, get that helmet and skateboard out, take a cruise,

may be able to provide us with a short cut. Don't sell yourself short, get that helmet and skateboard out, take a cruise,there is an amazing world out there.

Debi

To all who enjoy the current issue, we have an index of previous issues for you to read at your leisure:http://webwhispers.org/news/WotWIndex.asp

Welcome To Our New Members:

I would like to extend a "Warm Welcome" to our most recently accepted laryngectomees, caregivers, vendors, andprofessionals who have joined our WebWhispers community within this past month. There is a great wealth ofknowledge and information to be accessed and obtained from our website, email lists, and newsletters. If ever thereshould be questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to submit them to us from the "Contacts" page of ourwebsite.

Thanks and best wishes to all,

Michael CsapoVP Internet ActivitiesWebWhispers, Inc.

We welcome the 40 new members who joined us during February 2012:

Mark BrittonLubbock, TX

Susan Britton - (Caregiver)Wolfforth, TX

Donny BrooksLexington, SC

Patricia Brooks - (Caregiver)Lexington, SC

Guy CastronovoBayside, NY

Joe ClemonsArgos, IN

Burgundy Davis - (Caregiver)Seguin, TX

Maggie DavisSeguin, TX

Gina Denton - (Caregiver)Brandon, FL

Austin GeorgeDallas, TX

Ian HayesManchester, UK

Mike HillmanNewport Beach, CA

Melinda Hoover - (Caregiver)Conway, AR

Willie HooverConway, AR

Ann Hostetler- (Caregiver)Henderson, TN

Emanuel HostetlerHenderson, TN

Kris von KeisenbergWhangarei, New Zealand

Tammy Von Keisenberg - (Caregiver)Whangarei, New Zealand

Sue KooncePontiac, MI

Lorne KoropatwasCalgary, CAN

John LavalsitSan Jose, CA

Birgitta Lilja - (Returning Member)W. Palm Beach, FL

Sharman McKenna - (Caregiver)San Jose, CA

Ralph MeyerWooster, OH

Roseda "Edie" Moffit - (Caregiver)Lafayette, IN

Andrea Oliver - (Caregiver)Marietta, GA

Jay OliverMarietta, GA

Mark Oliver - (Caregiver)Marietta, GA

Ron PetersonWoodstock, IL

Charles (Rick) RickardCrowley, TX

Joyce Rickard - (Caregiver)Crowley, TX

Don SmithPort Orchard, WA

Matthew Stevens - (SLP)Idaho Falls, ID

Richard SollColorado City, CO

Joyce ThrasherGadsden, AL

John VerlacTawas, City, MI

George WingePrince Albert, Saskatchewan, CAN

Carole WrabelOlmsted Falls, OH

John Wrabel - (Caregiver)Olmsted Falls, OH

Jon ZieberHilton Head Island, SC

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