Thirty-three years ago my voice changed forever. I developed
spastic dysphonia. It all started after a tonsillectomy and adenectomy,
followed by a weird virus that lasted for months. My throat always
hurt. I hacked and coughed. Tormented by frequent bouts of laryngitis,
I consulted an otolaryngologist who diagnosed the malady as allergies.
My voice wasn't garbled or strangled yet. It just trailed off
at the end of sentences, with marked difficulty saying 's' and
't' sounds. After unsuccessful treatment, the specialist referred
me to a psychologist and speech pathologist. The psychologist
cleaned-out a lot of mental detritus and my wallet. The speech
therapy seemed to make my voice worse. I practiced the vocal fry
ad nauseum. Now I know that this therapy exacerbated the SD. Over
thirty-two years, I tried every conceivable panacea legally available.
Nothing worked. Not hypnosis, acupuncture, vitamin or speech therapy.
Not prescribed drugs, love, family or exercise. Finally, in 1997,
a Sarasota ENT doctor referred me to Jackson Memorial Hospital
for botulinum injections to treat my 'incurable' disease. After
four injections, my voice was totally gone. The outgoing me became
reclusive and seriously considered learning to sign as a means
of communication. Then, I heard about Dr. Morton Cooper through
my speech pathologist and also from my twin sister, Sally, who
happened to see him on television. Dr. Cooper was my last ditch
effort to regain a normal voice. Now I thank God, the universe
and the people who referred me to this laryngeal Lancelot of speech
and language pathology. He not only saved my voice, he saved my
life. Now I can function. I have a voice within normal speaking
range. Sometimes, I still lose it. If I practice, raise my pitch,
and breathe properly (DVR), I quickly regain my voice. Initially,
family, friends, and acquaintances didn't recognize my natural
voice on the telephone. In fact, I didn't know it either. Sylvia,
the girl who always sang alto, was a natural soprano. Dr. Cooper
restored my voice within minutes of our first meeting. This was
followed by five weeks of intensive DVR therapy. Why did I have
to travel so far, waste so much of my life and time, to find a
method that could have cured my spastic dysphonia over 25 years
ago? The medical community dismisses Dr. Cooper's method of voice
rehabilitation as a fraud. I know it works. I'm living proof.
Dr. Cooper introduced me to doctors, lawyers, teacher, many other
people who are recovered or cured SD victims. His techniques should
have been available to me sooner. I feel that SD victims suffer
needlessly and miss many opportunities because their voice problem
is improperly treated. DVR changed my voice and my life and it
can work for others. I thank you Dr. Cooper.
Sincerely, Sylvia Cheek
