Emmy-award winner and Massachusetts Broadcasting Hall-of-Famer Dick Flavin has a lot to say. But he almost was silenced. In December of 2009, after his primary care physician found an abnormal lump on his neck during his yearly checkup, Dick underwent surgery to remove squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil.

Dick was referred to and met with Dr. Kevin Emerick of Mass. Eye and Ear’s Head and Neck Surgical Oncology Service. Dr. Emerick treats those with head and neck tumors, benign and cancerous. Dr. Emerick explains, “It is one of the great things about the Mass. Eye and Ear. You can find someone who is specialized in a patient-specific need and really focuses in on those areas. We are able to provide that sub-specialized care that is really unique and special.”

Dick had a long treatment process, starting with a trip to the operating room to remove the tonsil, followed by rounds of combined chemotherapy and radiation.“I never had my tonsils out as a kid,” explains Dick, “So on Dec. 14, 2009, I became the world’s oldest person to have a tonsillectomy.”

Dick has now made a full recovery. “I was concerned that the cancer was around my voice box, because if I can’t bamboozle people, I got nothing. It’s the only skill I possess,” he jokes.

“Dr. Emerick saved my life. That is not hyperbole. That’s not exaggeration. That is a simple statement of fact," says Dick.

The Cataract Master, an innovative new tool, was developed at Mass. Eye and Ear to teach specialists how to master phacoemulsification cataract surgery, one of the most common eye surgeries. Providing a self-guided, self-correcting curriculum that requires trainees to make decisions based on realistic surgical situations, the Cataract Master bridges the learning gap that those new to phacoemulsification cataract surgery must navigate prior to performing actual surgery. The computer-based simulation tool contains realistic animations along with videos of actual surgeries – complete with expert discussions of each phase of the procedure. Dr. John Loewenstein, Harvard Medical School Ophthalmology Residency Training Program Director, along with Dr. Bonnie Henderson, former Director of the Comprehensive Ophthalmology Service at Mass. Eye and Ear, and several colleagues, developed the tool, which has been close to a decade in the making. The English version of the program is available through the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Foundation. The simulator can be accessed from any personal computer and is available to help train surgeons everywhere. Read more about the cataract master in our press release.