Florida Hospital Best in Care, Women and Children - Winter 2012 - (Page 5)

A Worthy Opponent In the fight of his life, Bill Heap's weapon of choice was robotic surgery Henry Ho, MD, Otolaryngology Bill Heap has spent more than 25 years assisting in surgeries as an anesthesia technician for Florida Hospital. But the 46-year-old Deltona resident never imagined he would be faced with his own battle with cancer and surgery. “I was trying to wrap my head around this diagnosis; I have cancer and I’m only 46,” recalls Heap, who loves fencing and moonlights as a drummer. “This is one word you never, ever, ever want to hear.” Orlando Fencing Club. His active life is full again. Heap believes he now has a responsibility to “pay it forward,” which he does by donating his hair to “Locks of Love,” a non-profit that provides hairpieces to children su ering from long-term medical hair loss. “Personally, I think I won this fight because I put my faith in God and in my surgeon,” Heap says. “I have a di erent perspective on life now.” EVENT FEB TREATING HEAD AND NECK CANCERS Join Dr. Ho at 5:30 pm, February 9, to learn more about risk factors, symptoms and treatments for head and neck cancers. Come early for a complimentary risk assessment. Save your seat by calling (407) 303-BEST (2378). A LESS INVASIVE TREATMENT Heap was diagnosed with throat cancer in December 2010. His doctors, Henry Ho, MD, and Je ery J. Lehman, MD, recommended he try a new robotic procedure called transoral robotic radical tonsillectomy Jeffery J. (TORS), o ered at Florida Hospital Lehman, MD, Orlando and Winter Park Memorial Otolaryngology Hospital, a Florida Hospital. A cancer diagnosis of the head and neck generally means aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments that can lead to di culty swallowing and other side e ects. While a patient will still need radiation after TORS, it is at a much lower dose. “When I first heard about [TORS], I thought it was just hype,” admits Dr. Ho, medical director of the Head and Neck Cancer Program at the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute. But now he holds a very positive view of the procedure. “It has good benefits for the patient, including low post-operative side e ects, good safety and rapid healing.” A TOUR OF TORS The procedure was FDA approved in 2009. Florida Hospital is among the first in the state to offer it. It is a two-surgeon operation. One surgeon sits at the patient’s bedside and one manipulates the two robotic arms and camera. Robotic surgery o ers threedimensional, high-definition imaging and better dexterity. Heap’s disease had spread to his lymph nodes, so he was required to have additional surgery on his neck. He had a radical node dissection at Winter Park Memorial Hospital. After two months, he is nearly healed and is playing gigs with his band See No Evil. He has rejoined the After surgery for throat cancer, Bill Heap is now back to the activities he loves, such as fencing. HEALTHY 00tips Sometimes trials can be difficult to handle on your own. Consider confiding in a friend about something you might be going through. SHARE YOUR STRUGGLES FloridaHospital.com 5 http://www.FloridaHospital.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Florida Hospital Best in Care, Women and Children - Winter 2012

Florida Hospital Best in Care, Women and Children - Winter 2012

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