A Scots dad will have to learn to talk, eat and breathe again after his neck was dissected to remove cancer in his voice box.
Jamie Donaldson, 31, has undergone multiple urgent surgeries after a growth in his throat was diagnosed as a rare form of the disease in March.
The dad-of-three, from Kilbirnie in Ayrshire, had been experiencing issues with his breathing, having previously suffered sore throats and agonising pains in his neck and head.
Both sides of Jamie's neck were dissected during a full laryngectomy - a surgery that saw his voice box removed.
He will live the rest of his life with a stoma in his neck, allowing him to breathe.
But Jamie will now need to relearn basic functions and fears he may never be able to regain some of his senses.
Speaking to the Record, mum Lorraine Donaldson, 60, said: "It's absolutely devastating for him, he has a full neck stoma that he’ll have for the rest of his life to allow him to breathe.
"He has to learn to speak, breathe and eat all over again. They said taste and smell might not come back completely.
"He has three children.
"It has had a massive impact on him mentally. He’s trying to be very positive to make a new life but it’s a long road to recovery."
Jamie first noticed something was wrong in November 2021 when he lost his voice.
He was referred to Crosshouse Hospital's Ear, Nose and Throat department where he was scheduled for an endoscopy on March 9.
Before he could attend he was struck down with Covid in February and had to push back the procedure by seven weeks.
But when Jamie began struggling to breathe in early March, he was referred to hospital by his doctor as an emergency.
Within three hours, he was on the operating table having surgery where medics removed a growth that was blocking 60 per cent of his airwaves.
While awaiting his biopsy results two weeks later, Jamie once again found himself unable to breathe properly.
The young dad was taken to Crosshouse Hospital and was told he had a rare form of stage three voice box cancer.
He was taken for an emergency tracheostomy, where a tube was inserted into his windpipe to help him breathe.
He then underwent a gruelling nine-hour surgery in April where medics opened up his neck and removed his entire voice box.
The 31-year-old faces a six-week wait to find out whether the cancer has spread.
Jamie, who is still in ICU and eating through feeding tubes, currently has to write down messages to communicate.
Lorraine added: "Each time he went to the hospital they told him if he hadn't come, then he wouldn't be here.
"It's been six weeks of devastation, from going for an emergency operation to being diagnosed with cancer.
"He will never know what could have been different if he was diagnosed earlier. All he knows is his life has been changed forever, in such a short space of time.
"Jamie's sharing his story in case it can even help save one person."
A fundraiser has been launched to help Jamie, whose three children are aged 3, 7, and 15, while he recovers and cannot work.
Over £3,000 has already been raised, leaving Jamie and his mum "gobsmacked".
You can donate to Jamie's fundraiser here.
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