Hi, my name is Sara, and I live in Kelowna. I was diagnosed with ALS in late January 2020 after noticing that my speech was slurred. In my case, ALS is ‘bulbar onset,’ meaning that my throat, mouth and tongue are affected before my limbs. My speech therapist suggested that I start voice banking while my voice was still ok and registered me with CAYA. I thought that I had lots of time, but I started with voice banking anyway. As it turned out, I’m happy I did start then because, by the time I finished voice banking, my voice had noticeably deteriorated.
Tara and Tim at CAYA were always accommodating and encouraging throughout the voice banking process. There are sometimes some tech hurdles to work through, and I really appreciated their help. The process did take persistence and discipline as I recorded about 3000 phrases at a rate of 50 – 75 per day.
It is now 10 months after diagnosis, and speaking is challenging – it is also very challenging for people to understand me. Thank goodness I now have my ModelTalker ‘voice’ to use with the Predictable app on the mini iPad provided by CAYA. I can also use the Predictable app on my iPhone. The iPad case includes a built-in keyboard so that I can type faster than using the iPad screen. My ModelTalker voice allows me to participate in conversations at home and social situations.