Mother, 40, paralysed with motor neurone illness information phrase financial institution… so she will nonetheless swear at her husband when she loses her voice
A mother paralysed by motor neurone disease has recorded a voice bank in anticipation of potentially losing the ability to speak.
Among the sentences and phrases logged by Anna Barrow are copious swear words so she can continue to shout at her husband.
The 40-year-old started making voice recordings some months after being diagnosed with MND in May, 2023.
The married mother-of-three had to record herself saying 50 random sentences into a microphone connected to her computer running a voice synthesizing software.
Mrs Barrow, of Greater Manchester, also recorded up to 300 personal phrases including her daughters’ names and – ‘most importantly’ – swear words.
She said she still does not know if she will fully lose her voice but knowing she can talk is ‘comforting’ to her.
‘I can still talk to my family and friends, have an opinion, pretty much do all the things I used to do with my voice,’ she said.
‘I can also still shout and swear at my husband Martyn which is a bonus.’
Knowing she will eventually lose the physically ability to speak, Anna Barrow has recorded herself saying a wide range of words and phrases
Mrs Barrow pictured with her husband Martyn Barrow while on holiday abroad
If Mrs Barrow loses her voice completely, she will be able to speak through the software using an eye-tracking system on her iPad which is connected to her wheelchair.
‘I like to talk a lot. My voice is my last bit of independence, so it was really hard preparing in case I lose it,’ she said.
‘I can no longer use my legs or my arms so speaking is extremely important to me.’
Mrs Barrow first noticed symptoms of MND in March, 2021, but doctors told her it could be nerve damage as a result of having received her Covid jab too high up her arm.
A social worker at the time, Mrs Barrow was told to expect improvement over the following 18 months but her symptoms progressively worsened and the loss of sensation spread through her body.
She was then urgently referred to a neurology department where she was added to the end of a 71-week waiting list.
Still awaiting an appointment, Mrs Barrow was in a work meeting when she realised she was struggling to breathe and swallow, which prompted her to go to A&E.
After a two-week hospital stay and numerous tests, she was diagnosed with MND.
Mr and Mrs Barrow share three daughters. Pictured here (L to R) is Martyn, Tilly, Fallon, Anna and Eve
The mother (pictured in her home in Greater Manchester) recorded herself saying 50 random sentences which were fed into a special voice synthesizing software
‘It was really difficult. They had kept me in hospital and were doing loads of tests so we knew it was potentially not going to be good news,’ Mrs Barrow said.
‘During my job I had worked with a few people with MND. But if they’re younger, they’ve all been male, and then there’s been a few older people with it.
‘I knew it was a possibility but with my age and being female, I just didn’t think it would be that.’
Mrs Barrow was given the option to start voice banking as soon as she was diagnosed but originally put it off after feeling ‘overwhelmed’ by the news.
Two months later, she started the process of recording her voice with the help of Martyn Barrow, 41, her husband and full-time carer.
‘Anna felt ready at the time but we didn’t realise how emotionally difficult the process would be. On the tin it seems easy,’ Mr Barrow said.
‘Anna had to record herself saying random sentences through a system called Acapela.
‘But the more she spoke, sometimes she got fatigued and started slurring her words or didn’t sound right so we would have to stop. The process never got easier’.
An eye-tracking system on Mrs Barrow’s iPad is connected to her wheelchair, enabling her to speak without using her voice
Pictured are Mr ands Mrs Barrow with their three daughters Fallon, Eve and Tilly Barrow
Mrs Barrow was working with a speech therapist, but her voice began to change. Even before starting recording she would get ‘upset’.
Mr Barrow said: ‘When this happened we would put it away for a couple of days and come back to it but that prolonged the process.’
Mrs Barrow finished recording the voice bank, which included 100 of her own personal phrases, one year later in August, 2024.
It was uploaded to her iPad the next day for her to use which Mr Barrow said was ‘fantastic’.
The personal words included nicknames and premade sentences like ‘can I have a coffee’ or ‘can I go to the bathroom’.
Mr Barrow said: ‘All Anna has to do is just hover over the word she wants to say for 1.5 seconds and it replays.
‘Anna much prefers to speak. She mainly uses the system if she is having a bad day or if she is tired.’
It cost £250 for an annual subscription to the service but this was covered by the NHS Salford Care Organisation MND Association – the UK’s largest charity for individuals living with MND.
In 2024, they provided £84,000 in funding for individuals to bank their voices.
