After undergoing a laryngectomy, Brien spent the next 18 years helping others going through the same thing

“I love helping people. It’s as simple as that.”

So says Brien Hands, who recently retired after spending the last 18 years of his life volunteering as a Laryngectomy Support Visitor at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Brien underwent a laryngectomy, the removal of the voice box, 20 years ago. This procedure leads to significant changes to the way that patients communicate, breathe and swallow.

As the sole Laryngectomy Support Visitor in Brisbane for nearly two decades, he spent time with the patients and their families prior to the operation and gave them the opportunity to ask questions to someone who has experienced the surgery firsthand.

Brien supported patients right across the state using telehealth technology based in the Speech Pathology department at the Royal. Patient feedback over the years has been glowing.

“Until I spoke to Brien, I wasn’t aware of what was really going to happen to me. I was really scared,” said one patient.

“After I met with Brien, I felt that there was light at the end of the tunnel. He explained to me that things would be hard initially but that they would improve over time. Brien gave me hope that things would get better.”

Brien said the secret was to give people that hope at a difficult time in their lives.

“I try to keep it happy for them. I crack a few jokes. I’m trying to show them that life goes on after this operation. I’ve travelled the world and lived a full life,” he said.

Brien also volunteered his time to assist in the education of speech pathology students and speech pathologists training in the specialty area of laryngectomy. For several years he delivered a tutorial to the Masters of Speech Pathology students at the University of Queensland as part of the course ‘Living with Laryngectomy’. He has also been involved in the annual training of speech pathologists across Australia on ‘Surgical Voice Restoration following Laryngectomy’ course. Brien was integral in the development of numerous training and education videos and photos.

“Brien was always willing to travel to the hospital to see patients and their families with very little notice,” said Speech Pathology Team Leader Ann-Louise Spurgin.

“He endeavoured to always support the patient in providing accurate information and his calm, reassuring manner gives patients and their families hope that they will adjust to the changes after the surgery.”

Upon his retirement, Brien was given a fond farewell with a morning tea in the Speech Pathology department.