Did you lose your voice?

After being asked that question 10 Million times over the past 7 years, I've come to appreciate my circumstance in a different light with in the realms of my new career, Nursing. I've also come to see my situation as a gift...

Since day one of my accident, I've always been asking my surgeon, when will I get my voice back... when in reality, I should be appreciating that I am alive and thriving.

I am currently researching for one of my classes a topic of interest, which is "Increased airway patentcy with exercise in post-traumatic laryngeal seperation," and I came accross this article http://www.utmb.edu/otoref/grnds/Laryng-Trauma-2003-0903/Laryng-trauma-2003-0902.htm. Essentially,after reading through this article, it made me realize how lucky I am to be alive from a medical standpoint and not a "this isn't fair that this happened to me" standpoint (not that I say that line very often).

I had a stage V (out of V, V being the worst possible injury) laryngeal seperation which usually, as this article states, results in immediate death. I shouldn't be here... is was I should be saying... and I should be happy to be alive - which I am. On top of not living, my quality of life should be poor. According to this article, I am Aphonic, without true vibration of the true vocal cords. This is the poorest outcome and is generally related to the stenting procedure I underwent immediatley after the trauma to save the diameter of my airway. The diameter of my airway was comprimised due to the blunt force trauma of the steering wheel/dashboard/or possible random curtain rod that was packed in my car.

It is true, it is amazing what the human body can endure. It is sad that I am aphonic. But I am alive, I can communicate and I can swim, bike and run! I'll be a Half Ironman come April 30th, and will be celebrating my Stage V repair mini-airway and aphonic "poor" quality voice with a smile on my heart. In losing my voice, I've gain the determination, insight and perspective on life that no surgery can interfere with.

We only LOSE things if we let people take them away from us. Everytime I run, I am choosing to celebrate my mini-airway and with determination I choose to see what I've gained through this process, not what I've lost. So to answere the question, "Did you lose your voice...?," ... you tell me, did you?