I have been amazed at the support and help I have received from friends and family but have so far not mentioned the Doctors and Nurses and Carers who are also part of the journey.

So far I have seen 6 Specialists. There were two Ear Nose & Throat specialists who were in charge of the the thyroplasty operation. There was also the Ward nurses looking after me both before and after the operation. The amount of staff in the operation theatre were too numerous to count. All had a function and all performed that function with what appeared to me quiet professionalism. They all seemed to know precisely what to do and when - after I time I was given an anaesthetic so lost track from there! The anaesthetist had his own assistants as well. The nursing care in the Ward was also of the highest calibre.

I also saw a Heart Consultant (3rd Specialist) at the beginning of the road: he had his team. I have also seen a Voice Therapist to get my voice to as close to what it was before all this started.

The teams dealing directly with the cancer side of the treatment and the cancer diagnosis make up the rest of the medical teams. Three Specialists. Nurses. Carers. Macmillan Nurse. Chemotherapy Nurses and General Support Staff. All have helped me. All have explained things clearly including some things a hundred and one different times: you tend to get so much information that it goes in one ear and out the other. They have shown limitless amounts of patience and compassion. I guess again it reinforces the goodness of human nature.

I am not going to be cynical here and say it is simply their job. It goes further than this. I have been struck by the tangible desire from others to help.

Lance Armstrong's books and the various other books I have read do speculate whether the cancer patients attitude to others is changed by the experience of the illness: from my perspective I will say it does change your perspective: I think a change for the better.

Finally thank you to my GP and the surgery: the GP often gets left out of all this. Sometimes the principal caring is by the hospital and staff but not always. There is also a pharmacist attached to the surgery - I can renew my prescriptions by email. It does feel strange when the pharmacist knows your name. Your Pub Landlord yes - but not your pharmacist

So a BIG THANK YOU from Sarah and I to all the medical people who are involved in all this at the moment and who remain to get involved.

I'll be back