Thanks for the kind words of support. I can really use them right now. David is out of surgery. The tumor measured 4 inches. They tried to save all they could but had to remove 5/6 of the tongue and don't expect him to every speak again. They also had to remove the right jaw from chin to ear, a little bit of the upper jaw, almost all the floor of his mouth, and part of his throat. They did a neck disection and removed the lymph nodes. The floor was rebuilt with chest muscle and the jaw with a part of the leg bone. However, due to chemo damage from a previous medical institute, the vessels were almost destroyed on the right side of his face and even with the plastic surgery that side will be "saggy". They said swallowing will be very difficult if not impossible and he will remain on a feeding tube from here on out. They told my mother that if David hadn't been this young they wouldn't have attempted this surgery at all. I'm glad the surgery is over - he's been in so much pain. Our efforts now will be on keeping his spirits up. I know foremost on his mind will be his speech. I believe he will be able to talk someday because he is such a strong person. It may take years, but I won't give up on him. I have to remember all these things are actually small blessings, we still have him and hope for a bright future, though I know from the shared stories on this site that the challenges ahead will be great. Does anyone have any ideas about the speech options? What about those machines they put on your voice box that allows you to "talk" through the vibrations? Are there any hand held computers available yet that allow you to type your message and then it says it? I know I am getting ahead of myself, but I also know my brother will be so worried about how this will effect his job and I just want to reassure him there are options. Well, it's been a long day as you all know and I will sign off now. I'm sure you will hear plenty from me in the weeks to come as we struggle to deal with this.