In January 2006, I began to suffer a persistent aphony, up to the point to difficult me to communicate with other people. I started to think in written cards in my pocket. Local treatments, didn’t get results.

More than anything my couple and reality led me to a doctor. The specialist, after a quick checking said "I do not like this", "I want you to see a throat surgeon." Here, my couple and I, began to worry.

The

surgeon (otorhinolaryngologist), made me a laryngoscopy, and there it was, a pretty sore, just over 1 cm in diameter protruding on my left vocal chord. I looked at the screen, as if that were of someone else.

While writing the report, the surgeon commented us that it should be necessary to schedule a "microsurgery".

We were on April 2006. The surgery was scheduled for May 31. Anyway, he commented that, although we have to wait the outcome of the biopsy, “he believed that it was malignant”, though with a high healing possibility.

Then we began a tour, visit a cardiologist, my first electrocardiogram (64años). After a centellogramme. It was a new experience for me, to ensure that my heart would accept a general anesthesia. Next days, other checkups followed and all results were fine.

Finally May 31 arrived. At 12 am o’clock, washed and neat, we went to the Sanatorio Americano (Montevideo). After a while, I was prompted to a room to get changed and I had to put a diaper, a skirt and a cap (all disposable) on, pity not to have had a photography camera.

On a stretcher, after a handshake with my couple, I was transferred to the operating theatre (again, my first time).

Around of an imposing central light focus, the surgeon, an anesthetist and two nurses, were waiting for me. Blood pressure measure, intravenous via connected and conversation, to "break the ice" until 10 minutes or less when, I was gone.

In a bit more than 1 hour I woke up in the get changed room, with my couple besides me, with a worried face, asking me not to speak. I could not control myself and in a whisper I recalled her details of my experience (euphoria post-anesthesia). Shut up please, she pleaded, watching me with very big eyes.

After a couple of hours, they gave us permission to leave. Back home, no words. Each of us with our own thoughts.

They were about 3 weeks quite tough. The suspense is catching in movies or books, but not in my own throat. My experience allowed me to think of something dangerous, but as the voice was recovering fast, I was convinced that total healing could be possible. She still did not talk about it.

A few days later, she not endured over and told me, The surgeon said that suspicions were confirmed, the sore is clinically malignant, although we must wait for the pathologist's diagnosis.

Meanwhile the curiosity was too strong, PC, Google, larynx tumor, look, please! thousands of pages, which of them more shocking. We decided to stop that and wait.

Finally, on the phone, from the laboratory somebody saying, it is ready, allowed me to go (this time by myself) to a specialized laboratory. They handled me an envelope with the report, I acknowledged and came out slowly, with the envelope that weighed in my wet hands.

Then my request to the Lord, my couple has done this from the very beginning. Outside, I opened the envelope, unfolding the report, squamous cell carcinoma was written, it was like a bad dream, I read it for a second time, it was still saying the same thing.