Mark Mardell - Losing My Voice
My friend, former BBC colleague and fellow Movers and Shakers podcaster Mark Mardell had a stellar career as a broadcaster with a confident distinctive voice. All the more cruel then that the most noticeable symptom of his Parkinson’s is that this voice has been severely weakened, becoming thin and reedy. He says he now struggles to make himself heard even in family conversations, let alone at noisy gatherings or with the rest of us in the pub.
Now he has made a short film exploring the physical and emotional impact of losing his voice, the science behind why this is quite a common experience for people with Parkinson’s, and his search for treatment which could make a difference. I think you will find it both moving and informative. There is also some rare footage of a Movers and Shakers podcast recording, which you may find illuminating.
The film was shot by Mark’s wife Jo and daughter Lucy and edited by Peter Page. Mark has posted it on a new Movers and Shakers YouTube channel where we will hope to share more content. So please subscribe….
From around 8:30 in the video, a superb explanation from speech therapist John Dean of why voice is damaged by Parkinson's. It utterly amazes me that voice loss is so often classified as a "non-motor symptom" by clinicians and researchers - it very clearly IS a motor symptom!
I'm sure speech therapists may have information about new technology to help but after reading these two comments from Jo and being a retired Teacher of the Deaf it might be an idea to explore a portable soundfield system especially for use in his home where a microphone would amplify Mark's voice and enable him to be heard more easily.