Sarah lost her voice to MND, 25 years later she's got it back

About this episode

Sarah, who lost her voice to motor neurone disease, discusses how AI has helped her regain her voice 25 years later.

The onset of motor neurone disease (MND) left Sarah without a voice and the use of her hands at the age of 34. It was within months of her becoming a mum for the second time. As they were growing up, her children Aviva and Eric only ever heard her speak through a machine with an emotionless robotic voice. But 25 years on, artificial intelligence (AI) has recreated their mum's real voice from just eight seconds of audio on a scratchy VHS tape. Sarah speaks to the BBC with eye-gaze technology - which uses a camera to track her eyes as she looks at letters on a screen in front of her. Originally aired August 2025. Presenter: Emma Tracey, mixed by Dave O'Neill, Series Producer: Beth Rose, Editor: Damon Rose. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk

People in this episode

Host: Emma Tracey

Guest: Sarah

Topics covered

• motor neurone disease
• artificial intelligence
• voice restoration
• disability
• technology
• parenting

Keywords

• motor neurone disease
• AI voice restoration
• disability
• eye-gaze technology
• parenting
• BBC Sounds

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC, BBC Sounds, Dave O'Neill, Beth Rose, Damon Rose

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