By Wonita Stephens From Guyana Guardian

The Ministry of the Presidency is saying that contrary to an article which appeared in this publication today with the headline “President Cannot Speak – Cancer Is In The Throat”, the president is speaking.

The administration also stood by the first diagnosis but did not outrightly say whether the cancer was indeed in the throat.

This publication had reported that at the time the information was received, the President was not speaking, and relied heavily on information from its sources in Cuba.

Readers would recall that when the Government was claiming the President’s illness to be something else, it was the Guyana Guardian that first broke the news that the President was suffering from Cancer.
About seven days later, the State subsequently admitted that this was true, but sought to explain that it was Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma; – a form of cancer that is completely different from throat cancer.

Upon the President’s return, he was observed wearing a mask to prevent bacteria from flowing into his mouth or nostril.
Several cancer experts with whom this publication subsequently spoke, explained that the mask was not consistent with someone suffering from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and is definitely more reflective of throat or lung cancer.

Subsequent checks by this publication with at least two sources in Cuba came back with one claiming that the President was suffering from throat cancer.

In the Ministry of the Presidency press release, which was sent out to local media houses earlier this afternoon, the government labelled the article that was published by the Guardian to this effect as untrue, while roasting the publication for publishing the content.

Interestingly, even though publicly available statistics show that articles from the Guyana Guardian have the largest lot of social media sharing numbers among all news publications in Guyana, the Ministry of the Presidency did not send a copy of the press release to this publication, which was subsequently shared by another news outlet.

HERE IS A COPY OF THE PRESS RELEASE:

Georgetown, Guyana – (December 9, 2018): The Ministry of the Presidency rejects the malicious and wicked publishing of false articles relating to the health of His Excellency, David Granger by Guyana Guardian an online media outfit headlined, ‘President cannot speak- Cancer is in the throat’.

Despite the Ministry of the Presidency’s issuing of several press releases and videos of the Head of State on the issue of his health, the Guyana Guardian continues to spread fake news via its website and Facebook page with the intent of causing public mischief and panic.

President Granger has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and not throat cancer as is being suggested by the online media outfit. He is currently being treated in the Republic of Cuba by specialists.

In fact, President Granger and his wife, First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger departed Guyana for Cuba on December 4, 2018 to undergo a second round of treatment at the Centro de Investigaciones Médico Quirúrgicas (CIMEQ).

Prior to his departure on December 4, the President explained that CIMEQ has drafted a schedule of treatment which will run until May 2019. After his second round of treatment, the President is expected to return to Cuba later this month to begin the third cycle of chemotherapy.

While the Government of Guyana respects the fundamental right of its citizens to freedom of speech, as well as press freedom, it condemns in the strongest possible way, the publishing of misinformation, untruths.

The Ministry of the Presidency, once again, calls on the members of the public not to be duped by the misinformation, falsehoods and distortions consistently published by the Guyana Guardian.

NOTE: A video link to an interview with President David Granger on the subject of his health is below. This interview was done on December 4, 2018, before he departed Guyana for the Republic of Cuba. The video can also be viewed on the Ministry of the Presidency’s Facebook Page.404SHARED THIS

For more on this story go to: https://www.guyanaguardian.com/state-says-president-granger-is-speaking-disputes-article/

Related story:

President Cannot Speak – Cancer Is In The Throat

By Dennis Adonis -December 9, 2018 From Guyana Guardian

NOTE TO READERS:The Government of Guyana has disputed the accuracy of this article, and has issued a press release disputing its contents. That press release can be found in a link that is below this article.

Amid public concerns over the fact that there is no recent video or public account of President Granger actually speaking since his cancer diagnosis, the Guyana Guardian was informed that this is largely due to the ‘fact’ that the cancer is actually at his throat, and not elsewhere as is being reported by the State. (NOTE: The state had released a video with the president speaking prior to his departure to Cuba).

Loss of speech is said to be an issue that is quite common among stage 2 to stage 4 throat cancer patients.

According to prominent Throat Cancer specialist Dr Vishal Rao, who is also considered as one of the world’s leading designer of throat cancer survival breakthroughs, throat cancer is basically a tumour that affects the vocal cords, the voice box, or in essence, any other parts of the throat; and can often result in the removal of a person’s voice box or other speech-related tissues in order to prevent the Cancer from spreading to the head or other parts of the body.

But prior to that phase the cancer must hit stage 4 and result in a total and not intermittent loss of speech, and must be seen as a threat to the life of that person. Otherwise, a full recovery is possible with various forms of treatment and surgery.

Dr. Rao is an Indian born throat-cancer specialist who is considered to be an international expert on this form of cancer, and has been credited with helping hundreds of throat-cancer patients to speak again.
The World Health Organizations is said to have sought his aid to help address the scourge of throat cancer worldwide.

However, the Guyanese leader has only sought help from Cuba, as it relates to his case. Cuba has nonetheless received great praise for the quality of its cancer treatment program.

Though the survival rate for throat-cancer is more favourable than most other forms of cancers, the average survivor’s lifespan is usually pegged at between 2 to 5 years, with the possibility of 7 years if the diagnosis was very early, depending on its exact location in the throat, and providing that the cancer is not aggressive. In some cases, recovery can be 100%.

Other past regional leaders who had suffered from cancers, such as Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Barbados’s David Thompson, could have personally addressed their nation on live television almost every week and at every step of the way as it relates to their treatment, because their cancers did not affect their speech.

But in Granger’s case, this is not a possibility since the cancer is said to be in his throat, resulting in an almost complete but intermittent loss of his voice, which at best, can sound extremely hoarse or becomes barely audible at times.
As a result, the President’s ability to undertake heavy speaking engagements are currently in limbo.

A usually reliable source with close links to the President’s treatment regime, has since told this publication that it is still too early to determine whether the 73-year-old Guyanese leader would be able to fully recover or if he would need to be fitted with a speech generation aid to his throat in the future.

“He still has to do several more rounds of treatment in Cuba that will go way into mid-2019. So, it is way too early to make even the slightest suggestion along that line”, they said.

Otherwise, President Granger said to be fully aware of developments in Guyana, and is very alert.

However, contrary to the information that was received by this publication, a release from the Guyana High Commission in Cuba a few weeks ago, has stated that President Granger is suffering from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma; – a form of cancer that is completely different from throat cancer.

After making several medical trips and receiving treatment abroad, President Granger is currently back in Cuba for what is suspected to be his third round of radiation treatment, and not second as is being claimed, and after being in Guyana for just over a week.

For more on this story go to: https://www.guyanaguardian.com/president-cannot-speak-cancer-is-in-the-throat/