Howard Sattler has throat cancer

Former 6PR talkback presenter Howard Sattler has throat cancer.

The 70-year-old was diagnosed last week, after having difficulty speaking.

Sattler was sacked from his talkback gig after an infamous interview with then Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and was subsequently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

He wrote about receiving the diagnosis on his blog, The Sattler Files:
 

You could have knocked me down with a feather when I was told the diagnosis, from my Ear Nose and Throat specialist.
 
The cancer is in my larynx…my voice box… and was discovered after I had a “pre-canc erous” node removed followed by more  surgery, ostensibly to “scrape out” any possible “spots” that may have remained.

Ten days of  “voice rest” (no speaking) followed, to rest my sore and surgically battered vocal chords, another week had me waiting in the specialist’s rooms waiting for his final report and some advice on how to bring my raspy voice back towards normality.

It all seemed worth the frustration, that I’d learned to live with since I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s three years ago. No one could have prepared me for what he then told me.
 

Even though I accepted his blunt statement, “You have cancer” unequivocally and without dissent, my mind was cranking into overdrive wondering how I could prove him wrong…

I am left to tackle the challenge head on.
 

 And I must and I will, in the same fashion as the recent whammies of my Parkinson’s diagnosis three years’ ago, and my subsequent sacking by 6PR.

With my amazing wife, Despene by my side and the wonderful  band of friends, professional colleagues and current sponsors of thesattlerfiles.com … our internet radio podcast venture who, to a person, have guaranteed to stick by us while we traverse this latest speed bump in the highway of my life. I cannot adequately thank you.

Sufficed to say that I will not give up the fight but if in the unlikely event I fall by the wayside it will not be for lack of trying.

 

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