Four years after undergoing extensive surgery for Stage 4 laryngeal cancer, Russ Kalman has his smile back.
“I smile at little kids again, so they’re not scared of me,” Kalman said with … well, a smile.
In preparation for his cancer surgery in April 2022, doctors removed all but nine of Kalman’s teeth. It has limited his ability to eat solid food and made him self-conscious. With limited dental insurance, Kalman couldn’t afford the thousands of dollars for the treatments he’d need for dentures.
So, his family turned to El Paso for help, and got an overwhelming response. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $13,000. University Medical Center offered financial assistance to Kalman and connected him with Dr. Hans Brockhoff, a leading expert in reconstructive surgery for head and neck cancers.
“I want to say the word grateful again, and amazed that a community could come together. It gave me more faith in El Paso, in humanity,” said his wife, Kat Tyler.
Kalman said he received help from family and friends, and people from El Paso’s music and performance communities. Kalman was a bass player in numerous El Paso bands over the years, and has worked as a theatrical production specialist handling lighting, sound, video and props.
Tyler was a vocalist for Q.I.D. and other El Paso bands, and was a radio personality for many years. She now works as a nurse.
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Kalman still faces months of treatment, including dental implants and time in hyperbaric chambers to speed bone healing.
“It’s a major dental transformation that’s still ongoing,” said Zoe Kalman, the daughter of Russ Kalman and Tyler. “But even though more challenges are to come, he’s happy and more confident.”
Tyler said the biggest change she’s seen in Kalman since he was fitted for dentures is “he’s hardly home. He’s always going somewhere.”
Kalman said that the lack of teeth left him self-conscious and uncomfortable in public spaces. He grew what he calls “a ridiculous mustache” to hide his lack of teeth.
Now, the mustache is gone.
“I’ve been laughing more in public,” he said.
Kalman, who turned 68 in March, speaks with a voice prosthesis as a result of his cancer surgery, but is otherwise healthy. Recent blood tests confirmed he remains cancer-free.
“So, life is beautiful,” he said.
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