Yesterday, my brother woke up deaf.

[RadiationTherapy]

He only had hearing in his right ear. His other ear has too much scar tissue from the radiation and has been gone for a while now. I guess his other ear is scarred over now too. My brother's health has declined steadily through the years as he has lost his voice, ability to breathe, eat, open his mouth and his left arm due to nerve damage, but through it all we had our talks and our music. Every week for a few hours we hung out, drank, smoked, talked (I can understand his mangled language), listened to and recorded music together. I am devastated and we haven't seen each other since he texted me the news. It is a particularly cruel turn for us.

[Fumesucker]

1. Words are always so inadequate...

[pacalo]

2. Oh my. I'm so sorry, RT.

to you & to your brother.

[Odin2005]

3. Damn!

[mazzarro]

4. Sorry about this!

Was the radiation a result of medical treatment or otherwise an accident of some sort?

My best wishes and prayers for him, you and the family.

[RadiationTherapy]

5. Yeah, he had cancer in his sinuses from welding and had treatment 16 years ago when he was 23.

Over the years the radiation has burned him into a hermit. This time, with his going deaf, I am just much more affected than the past. We have adapted to everything up to now, but for him to no longer hear music - ours and others' - just seems cruel.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. I'm so sorry. As they say in my support group, "Cancer is the gift that just keeps on

giving". We never know when something else will show up.

[a kennedy]

7. I'm so sorry for you both

so sad.

[dembotoz]

8. my first wife lost her hearing due to hearing toxic antibitotics that were needed after chemo.

of the many things she lost on the long trail to her eventual death, i think the hearing bothered her the most.

[RadiationTherapy]

9. It's awful to see the piece by piece zombification.

We had just recorded a new album and a series of documentaries. I am in awe of the pain, really.

[RadiationTherapy]

10. Life can be cruel

and life can be cruel to not slow down and give us a moment to adapt and cope. Bright, bent, burnt new skin.