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Man who risked his life in surgery to be able to eat again gets a gift that gives him a voice again Date published: 8/24/2009
BY CATHY DYSON A man who risked his life in surgery for the chance to chow down on a chili dog has been given a computer to replace the voice box he lost to throat cancer. And what does Samuel "Eddie" Butler like best about the gift from the Fredericksburg PC Users Group? "It's simple stuff, like being able to order a pizza," Butler typed, then clicked a button so the computer-generated voice would speak for him. "There's no way to describe that." An April story in The Free Lance-Star detailed the ordeal Butler, 41, faced after learning four years ago that he had the most advanced stage of throat cancer. Numerous surgeries to save his life left him with no voice and with lifelong nerve damage. He'll always have a tube in his throat so he can breathe. Butler, who lives in Spotsylvania County, reconciled himself to those changes, but couldn't live without the taste of food. He begged surgeons to try risky measures to help him eat again. Doctors told him surgery to rebuild his esophagus might kill him, but Butler persevered. When Joan and Bill Williams read about Butler's determination, they wanted to help. The Spotsylvania residents are members of the Fredericksburg computer group, which has donated thousands of dollars worth of equipment to local groups, according to Treasurer Kay Pollock. Plus, Joan Williams' daughter, Sondra Johncox, leases machines to a Woodbridge bingo hall where Butler's mother, Peggy Hall, plays. The two talked about Butler's situation and how a computer might help him. Johncox passed that on to Joan Williams, who asked the board of the computer group if they would buy the system for Butler. "They were unanimous in saying, 'Yeah, go for it,'" Joan Williams said. She purchased an Acer Aspire notebook computer with text-to-voice software for about $400. The Williamses gave Butler the computer in July, and he sent a thank-you card and letter, describing how the machine made him whole again. "He was so happy that he got to call his mother. It was the first time he used the phone in 21/2 years," Joan Williams said. "I can't believe, for the cost of this, what a difference it's made. He's back in society." Butler still carries a notebook and pen with him so he can write down his thoughts if the computer battery runs low. In busy places, he said, people aren't always patient enough to wait for him to type his thoughts. He's slow on the keyboard--it's different from the speedy texting he does on his phone, and he can't use abbreviations. Misspellings or the wrong punctuation come out garbled, but Butler is learning the machine. He'll practice as much as it takes--and even read the instructional manual if he gets really desperate. "I'll get better the more I work on it," he said. Then he smiled broadly and said his most recent six-month checkup showed him to be cancer-free. "I have time." Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
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