Jodie Carson had a tumor in her vagal nerve, which innervates the vocal fold. When she woke up, she had only a whisper. It got a little better after she had an injection, and she regained more in speech therapy. But she finally opted to try surgery to see if she could find the rest of her voice. Smith took a nerve loop and hooked it into the damaged nerve. "It just gives a little juice to the vocal fold," she says. Within two days, she noticed a huge improvement.

She can yell at the kids across the playground or join a boisterous discussion at book club. After surgery, she had a single session with the speech therapist because the strategies she'd used before no longer worked. She now uses the new techniques.

Prim's hoarse voice began with a sinus infection but lingered long after. Earlier this month, in surgery, the polyp was cauterized with a laser and Prim had to endure a week of total silence. Then he was allowed to use a little voice, too small to be heard in a group. Now he's seeing a vocal therapist and learning exercises. He'll do that for a few weeks. But already in his crowded church service he can speak and be heard. Within a couple of months, he expects to be singing.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com