Matt – Grateful patient of Dr. Terance Tsue

Head & Neck cancer

My name is Matt Mauer. I am a father, a brother, a son, a Scout leader, and a Battalion Chief with the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department. Now I can add Head and Neck cancer survivor to that list.

In May of 2006, I learned that I had stage four metastatic cancer of the head and neck (HNSCC). As I tried to grapple with this life changing news and determine where to go for the best support, I was told repeatedly about KU Med's ENT unit and Dr. Terance Tsue in particular.

Dr. Tsue's interesting academic medical background might impress you (an MD with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford) or the fact he comes highly recommended from other doctors as "who I'd go to if I had any kind of ENT cancer." I chose Dr. Tsue as my specialist after our first diagnostic meeting because he had a real level of empathy and understanding for my situation - not just the medical smarts. I believed I would have my best chance of survival with him.

KU ENT was also very involved in making sure the other doctors I would need were all on the same page, highly specialized dentists, radiation therapy doctors and techs, the doctors and nurses who would shepherd me through the chemo portion and on top of the list - a surviving Head and Neck patient who served as a my own personal guide, sounding board and a friend throughout the entire cancer treatment process. The radiology techs and nurses were amazing caregivers! The post surgery nurses, in particular Kim Shepherd, went to great lengths to help me heal up.

All divisions of the KU care chain knew me by name and sight quickly, knew my family, got me in and out quickly from all therapies, worked to be flexible and in general treated me like a highly valued customer and friend - not just an eight digit chart number.

When I was a kid, a diagnosis of cancer always meant that person was going to die. I told Judy Brown (Doctor Tsue's nurse) and Dr. Tsue at the beginning that this would just be "an inconvenient summer." KU Med did everything I can think of and more to minimize the unpleasantness of having cancer. Everyone was so nice, it is still a pleasure to just drop by and say hello.

Although I had neck surgery giving up forty-some odd lymph nodes, and lost 50+ plus pounds during treatment, took seventy doses of radiation and got three full rounds of chemotherapy, I only missed ten days of work largely because of the great care I received.

Today, I'm back and enjoying my life in full force and am currently cancer-free with minimal after-effects.

I would like to thank all the physicians, techs, nurses, assistants and everyone else at KU Med who helped me and my family through my cancer ordeal.