Today, the 52-year-old has her voice back thanks to a rare transplant surgery at the University of California Medical Center in Sacramento. After losing her speech more than a decade ago, Brenda Jensen became isolated from friends and was teased for using an electronic device that made her sound like a robot.
An international team of surgeons replaced Jensen's larynx, or voice box, in an 18-hour operation in October. The surgeons could not tell if their delicate work was a success until 13 days after the operation, when they went to Jensen's hospital bed and asked her to speak.
Friends and family members now are amazed when she speaks, including 12-year-old granddaughter Samara Versteegh, who had never heard the sound of Jensen's voice.
Jensen reunited with the surgical team at a news conference Thursday morning at the University of California Medical Center. Her speech is still raspy, but she has shown steady improvement. Doctors hope the natural tones of her voice will return in the next several months.
Jensen said she was informed of the risks -- that the donor organ might not restore her voice, or that she could lose the movement in her eyes and face if the surgery went terribly wrong. But she decided to accept the risks.
According to UC Davis press materials, Jensen's voice does not sound like the donor's. A person's voice is not defined by the vocal cords, but is made by sound resonating in the mouth and nose and the movement of the tongue and lips.
Farwell said the surgery could be considered for others with trauma injuries to the larynx. But it won't be recommended for throat cancer sufferers because they need strong immune systems to impede the growth of cancer cells.
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