Surgery was long and difficult but a great success for George. The mass was mostly made up of a large cyst filled with nasty, thick, brown fluid. Additionally, a firm growth was invading the esophagus and larynx. After carefully identifying and protecting the carotid artery, jugular vein and large nerves, the growth was removed, along with a portion of esophagus and larynx. Post operatively our greatest concern was whether George would be able to swallow or talk and how comfortably he would breathe. To our amazement, he was eating within an hour and purring. For the next few days, he stayed at the hospital, going home with Dr. Mandel in the evenings and he would cry loudly when in the car which thrilled Dr. Mandel to hear because it meant that his larynx was still properly functional. His next hurdle will be finding out how aggressive the tumors removed are but it’s great to see George happy and, for the first time in a while, without the mass which, taken to scale, would be like you or I having a volleyball on our neck.