Hello Kathy,
My husband Kris had his total Glossectomy and total laryngectomy 5 years ago ( next week).
Kris had had prior radiation, so our team wanted him to wait 6 months before they put in the TEP speaking valve.
It works. For us anyway. As he has no tongue it is very difficult to enunciate words. However, if he speaks slowly I understand 90% of what he says. As do our children and a few close friends. If he has just had a drink, he can sound like he is underwater. Yes, it can be frustrating at times and Kris gets cross if I don't understand, but it really does work for us and sure beats writing everything down with pen and paper.
He can't go into a shop and hold a conversation. It is quite a different way of speaking and I liken it to listening to a very thick foreign accent. Once you have got " your ear in" you understand.
We wouldn't be without this mode of speech.
Ask your team about a TEP ( Tracheo esophageal puncture ) and speaking valve.
This works by making a passage between the trachea and the oesophagus. He would then occlude the Stoma with a finger and "talk". This then forces the air through the valve where it resonates in the tissues of the oesophagus making sound. He will need the help of a speech language therapist to master this. Kris said " hello " clearly straight away. It did though take him some weeks of practice to be more fluent.

I wish you both the best with this. Believe me , speech certainly is possible. Dont let your team tell you otherwise.
Tammy