One of my favorite movie critics, Roger Ebert (Siskel & Ebert and Ebert & Roeper), last month wrote a wonderful essay, Nil By Mouth, that you should read. Surgeries for thyroid and salivary gland cancer, have left Ebert without the ability to speak or eat. Keep in mind that this was a man, who influenced millions weekly with his spoken words on TV. To a movie producer, a “Thumbs Up” from Ebert was as good as an academy award at the box office. His inspiring essay is not an exercise in self-pity, but rather a discovery of what really matters.
Ebert has lost his voice, but not his ability to speak and influence others by his writings. His website is here and his story, in his own words, about his illness and his battle with Disney to keep his show on the air are here.