Nobody, in December 2019, could have foreseen what was to follow when we moved into the year 2020. There were reports of a new virus that had been seen in China but the impact it would have across the world  and in the UK has taken us all by surprise.

Laryngectomees need support from their local hospital for life. Having a leaking voice prosthesis can be managed for a few days but for a longer time it greatly affects quality of life. In the spring and early summer many patients experienced this. Valve services were gradually restored and, I think, lessons have been learned.

Most members of our group had shielding letters in March and since then have been very careful, following the social distancing guidelines strictly. This has come at some cost, not least the  isolation from family and friends. Some members have now had the Covid vaccination and the rest of us will be waiting impatiently for the invitation to do the same.

HNChelp has done its best to sustain our work to support our members and new patients. We have made use of virtual platforms like Zoom to help individual patients and to hold group meetings. However, with help of the vaccination programme, we are looking forward to meeting together again, in  person,  within a few months.

Best wishes for 2021!