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coutesy of WLWT
Jan Christian couldn't speak above a whisper for decades after her throat was crushed in a car accident.
Silenced for 35 years by a crushing injury to her throat, Jan Christian is regaining her voice, thanks to several complex surgeries and some jet-engine technology.
But the Kentucky woman isn’t simply speaking for the first time since she was a teenager. She’s singing in her church choir. She’s giving her dog commands. And she’s re-learning the art of tact: words that enter her mind should not always flow out of her mouth.
“I’m still trying to swallow the fact that I can talk, that people can hear me - I sometimes have to pull my foot out of my mouth now. You know: ‘Oops, I said that out loud?,” Christian told msnbc.com. Her new voice is hoarse and raspy but clear and gaining strength.
Her original voice was lost – she thought forever – when a car in which she was riding rammed into a telephone pole, causing Christian’s head to jerk forward and her neck to collide with the dashboard. The impact flattened the cartilage enveloping her vocal cords, preventing the cords from vibrating via normal airflow, blocking the cords from making noise.
Since her accident at age 17, Christian only could mouth words or communicate through hand signals and facial expressions. About two years ago, a stranger in a grocery store heard her struggling to speak and handed her a business card for Dr. Sid Khosla, an otolaryngologist and head of the Voice and Swallowing Center at the University of Cincinnati, WLWT.com first reported.She soon allowed Khosla to examine her throat with a scope.
Several weeks later – after Christian “made a list of the pros and cons” of doing the surgery – Khosla transplanted muscle and fat from the inside of Christian’s cheek to rebuild the vocal cords in her neck. He has performed that procedure about 25 times, according to media reports. His medical aim was to allow air to glide over those revamped cords.
And, according to his patient, Khosla’s theoretical model for that vocal blueprint: a powerful airplane.
“The doctor learned how to do this procedure by studying jet engines – how the air flows inside of those engines,” she said.
After the operation, Christian had to remain silent for eight months to allow her restored throat to heal. Later, Khosla teamed Christian with a speech therapist at University Hospital in Cincinnati.
“It was the therapist’s first day on the job. Dr. Khosla said, ‘Make her talk.’ So I think she was kind of stressed. No pressure or anything,” Christian recalled with a giggle. “The first thing I could really do was just make the sound, ‘eeee,’ I couldn’t get a word out at that point.”
As she slowly re-learned how to move air over her vocal cords and control her breaths, her first words finally came – in the form of a question: “Did you hear that?” she asked the therapist.
“It used to be very painful to speak. There’s no pain now,” says Christian, 53, a resident of Alexandria, Ky.
“In that moment of my first words, you have every feeling in the book. There’s joy and happiness. And you’re scared. Just everything all at once. Your emotions rise all at once. And then all you can do is cry.
“I didn’t realize it would be such a hard road to learn to talk again,” she added. “But my doctor said there’s no reason why my voice shouldn’t continue to get stronger.”
On Easter, she sang her in church choir. Now, she is taking singing lessons with a coach who is teaching her more about air placement and air control in order to improve her musical pitch and delivery.
As evidence of her fresh vocal muscles, she paused during a phone interview Wednesday to scold her dog.
“Drop it! Drop it!” Christian said. “Oh, he’s got a bug in his mouth. I hope it’s not poisonous. Drop it!! OK, he dropped it.”
What's the most extraordinary medical recovery you've ever heard of? Tell us on Facebook.
Surgery helps an Ohio woman speak after more than 30 years of silence. WLWT's Stephanie Stone reports.
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OMG! This is such a nice story. Lady, I am SO happy for you. I bet you thought you were NEVER going to be able to talk again. I think this might just be a miracle. Wow. You go girl.
Great story, although the headline was a little misleading. After reading the headline I was expecting a story about some kind of implant developed from jet technology, not that the doctor just took his inspiration from how jet engines work. In any case, this is great news for this woman that she can talk again after being kept silent for so many years.
For you non believers . . . you see, Science and GOD work real well in concert! Thank you GOD for another sign of your miracles through faith.
@about that
And of course someone has to bring religion into it. For the record, it was science that has allowed her to speak again. I will thank the scientists for this as there is no miracle here, just smart people doing smart things.
This is an aberration! Man playing GAWD, building from stolen flesh that which was taken by GAWD! Repent, ye, of all satanic sciencisms-- lest ye be led by wonders into the gaping jaws of Hell itself, ready to devour your soul in a blaze of unholy fire for all eternity, CAN I GET AN AMEN?! Hallelujah! Praise Jeebus!
Reading the title of this story sure perked up my interest to read the article. I thought maybe the doctors designed her vocal chord after the jet engine or something... or parts of it. First reaction was: how can that be possible? The title is so misleading, but they sure draw a crowd of readers lol.
Congratulations, lady.
Wow, 35 years of just whispering! She would have been a great lady to marry. (kidding!!!) Nice story, glad she is able to speak again. Obviously it is like a gift from God! She seems so happy!
I don't know about all of you but I would definately go find the person who gave her that doctor's business card! A fantastic story! Who would have guessed where that doctor's inspiration would have come from? Amazing, just amazing!
I was kinda expecting that now every time she opens her mouth, she lets out a roar like a jet at full throttle, lol.
it's amazing how science changes so quickly. this would have never been possible 20 or 30 years ago.
I saw her husband. I think those were tears of joy.....just kidding.....wtg girl!!!
Doubt her husband had tears of joy..maybe tears of oh-no..WOMEN can't shut up enough! Yap Yap Yap.
Interesting. Contrats to this amazing woman.
Many dogs raised in a kennel situation have the vocal cords cut (so very cruel). We have been able to "adopt" several of them and have "encouraged" them to bark. Over the course of time. what used to be a "squeak" has gotten stronger and is sounding more like a bark.
People who do this to dogs know no bounds to cruelty. One only hopes that they, too, might suffer a similar fate one day.
THis is such a nice story. I am so happy for her. The statement, "Never give up, never surrender", makes a lot of sense.
If those doctors had a heart, they would remove her husband's ear drums for free!!
Such a happy story. Science is truly amazing! And, way to go stranger for handing her the business card!!
"On a related story: husband shoves icepick in both ears"
She was the perfect woman for 35 years. :)
that really isn't funny; doubt that you would think so were it you that hasn't been able to speak for 35 years.
Great job Doc
Best Feel Good story of the day.
She had to listen to her husband for years. I think it is only fair for him to have to listen to her for a while!
Is she married? I would feel just terrible for her husband. Maybe he can go deaf.
What a fantastic story!
This lady had to listen to her husband for years now it is his turn to listen to her. There were probably times when she wanted him to lose his voice for a while.
Wonderful story.
Fantastic story, I could cry with joy for her!
To the people complaining about religion in this story...who do you think blesses doctors with the intelligence to do these amazing things? GOD! GOD GOD GOD!
To the people saying you feel bad for her husband, having to hear her hoarse voice...idiots, it's the most beautiful thing her husband ever heard, because HE CAN HEAR HER NOW! Grow up, morons!
The only people who are largely responsible for our intelligence are our parents, because intelligence has a genetic basis.
If our intelligence comes from the blessings of a divine creator, that would be odd indeed, since that would mean he prefers to bless people according to the normal distribution. Rather than use his purported omnipotence bless everyone (an easy task), he whips out the error function and his pocket calculator, giving preference to the children of parents who were blessed themselves before he distributes what remains to everyone else. Of course, he *could* just bless people more fairly, but that would screw up his fancy distribution of intelligence, and you know how upset it makes him.
Give more credit to the scientists. Instead of going to church and praying for miracles, they actually go out and do something about it. No, they're no mindless drones making new discoveries controlled by your god in response to your prayers; they're real people with the drive to change our world for the better through research and understanding. To give credit to some divine creator is to glorify complacency and marginalize the people who do the real work.
"Going to church and praying" and "actually going out and doing something" aren't mutually exclusive, and I think it is offensive (and simple-minded) to assume that they are!
They are certainly not mutually exclusive as you said. I was referring to anyone who thinks that prayer is helpful in any way towards achieving these goals, and thus either indirectly claiming some credit, or attributing credit to God or whoever they pray to. It's easy to pray and hard to be a scientist so I'm assuming that not many people who pray for medical miracles, cures, etc. are actually in the lab doing research. Its irritating when the scientific community makes yet another tangible contribution to society and the first thing some people do is praise God and delude themselves into thinking that it had more to do with God "allowing" scientists to make the discovery rather than human perseverance.
That sort of thinking does create complacency because if your worldview is that things like this will happen only when God is ready, we take a passive, rather than an active role in furthering medical and scientific knowledge and we disavow the connection between hard work and results. This is important because how the public views scientific research has a big effect on funding.
Judging by the end of that video, she has more progress to make...
Congratulations to you Jan! Just wonderful that this surgeon could do that for you, what a great story! My best wishes for you going forward.
Too bad, women of silence are in high demand by men.