When the body reclaims its voice
Sonya Sotinsky faced a moment few people can imagine. Doctors told her they might have to remove her tongue and voice box to save her life from a ruthless cancer that had invaded her mouth. The prognosis was grave, but Sonya wasn’t ready to surrender her ability to speak—her most human trait, a channel for emotion, memory, and connection. She chose a path that blended cutting-edge technology, humor, and the comfort of stories from childhood.
Recording a future she couldn’t shout aloud
With a microphone in hand, Sonya began to record herself saying the words she feared she would never say again. The act was less about vanity and more about ownership—creating a literal archive of her voice that timing and treatment could never erase. She narrated simple everyday phrases, laughter, and even the emotional intonations that make her uniquely Sonya. The goal was not to replace a spoken voice but to preserve a voice that could be heard and understood by those who loved her most.
AI: a partner in restoring speech and identity
After the team presented the possibility of a speech prosthesis, Sonya embraced artificial intelligence as a bridge between loss and expression. Modern AI voice systems can analyze a person’s recorded samples, learn the cadence and timbre of their voice, and generate a digital voice that’s remarkably lifelike. For Sonya, this technology offered continuity. It wasn’t about replicating a perfect voice; it was about maintaining a recognizable human presence during conversations with doctors, family, and friends.
Practicalities and ethical considerations
The journey is not just technical. There are ethics, consent, and emotional layers to consider. Sonya’s chosen voice is, in essence, a collaborative product—her lived sound paired with AI’s precise reproduction. It requires ongoing updates as her condition evolves, and it demands sensitivity to how others perceive a voice that has changed but remains deeply hers.
Curse words as a deliberate reclaiming of power
In a surprising twist, Sonya chose to weave curse words into her regained voice. The swearing isn’t about anger; it’s about authority. It’s the punctuation of reclaiming space in a body that had been threatened, silenced, or diminished. By incorporating these raw expressions into her AI-generated voice, she communicates not only content but a fierce refusal to be diminished by illness.
Books for the brave: the role of children’s stories
To soften the edges of the AI voice and inject warmth, Sonya drew on children’s literature. Reading aloud from picture books or memory-based phrases from early childhood provided a comforting texture to the new voice. The gentle rhythms of those stories helped anchor her speech, offering a bridge between the old voice and the new, more resilient one. It’s a reminder that healing often travels through small, familiar moments as much as through grand medical triumphs.
Voice as a lifeline: reconnecting with loved ones
Voice is more than sound; it’s a lifeline to relationships. For Sonya, the AI-assisted voice meant she could hold conversations with her partner, children, and friends without the barrier of a silent mouth. It also offered a way to tell her own story—one that acknowledges pain, defiance, and hope. By sharing her experience publicly, she invites others facing similar battles to consider every available path to restoration, whether medical, technological, or emotional.
A future where voice loss can be bravely confronted
The combination of AI and personal courage doesn’t erase the trauma of surgery or the fear of recurrence. Instead, it provides a scaffold on which a survivor can rebuild daily life, identity, and presence. Sonya’s journey demonstrates that losing one’s voice does not have to mean losing one’s voice entirely; technology, creativity, and a few well-chosen words can resurrect communication in powerful, meaningful ways.
As medical science advances, stories like Sonya’s remind us that patient-centered innovation thrives at the intersection of empathy, technology, and humanity. Her voice—carved anew with AI, seasoned with profanity, and warmed by childhood stories—continues to speak not only for herself but for everyone fighting to be heard.
