Kimberly Williams-Paisley stayed awake through intense 3-hour throat surgery
Kimberly Williams-Paisley is speaking out about her intense three-hour medical procedure for her rare voice disorder.
After Williams-Paisley discovered her life-changing diagnosis that ultimately left her unable to speak for two years, the actress reached out to top doctors to help get her voice back.
During her visit to Nashville, Tennessee’s Vanderbilt Voice Center in January 2023, where health professionals treated celebrities including Johnny Cash and Wynonna Judd, she was diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia, as she had a partial paralysis of her left vocal cord.
KIMBERLY WILLIAMS-PAISLEY 'FELT TRAPPED IN MY OWN BODY' WHEN SHE COULDN'T SPEAK FOR 2 YEARS
Muscle tension dysphonia is a change in the sound or feel of your voice due to excessive muscle tension in and around the voice box, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Doctors put a scope through Williams-Paisley’s nose and down her throat in order to examine her vocal cords. However, the medical team said that "the muscles in her neck were so tight that the cords were barely visible," she described to People magazine in an exclusive interview.
"When we first saw her, it was hard to tell what was happening to the vocal cords themselves," said Dr. Gaelyn Garrett, executive medical director of the Voice Center.
Before doctors could proceed with the throat surgery, they injected a hyaluronic acid filler into her left cord to see if bulking it up would help her speak.
The medical team then agreed she needed the three-hour laryngoplasty surgery – "a procedure in which the weak left vocal cord is moved closer to the right."
"We wanted to tune the cord the best we could," said Dr. Garrett, who performed the surgery with her medical team.
"We had her awake so we could hear how the voice changes as we manipulated the position of the vocal cord. We’re trying to get the natural voice back."
Williams-Paisley described the procedure as "bizarre" as she was fully awake when doctors opened up her throat.
"They put up a plastic sheet so I couldn’t see anything except my throat on a screen they set up. It looked like another mouth, like a big hole!"
Williams-Paisley remained in good spirits during the procedure, as she explained that being present during the surgery was "beautifully symbolic. I feel like I’ve been waking up to myself. I had to be fully present to cross this finish line, and I was really ready for it."
According to People, "during the procedure, the team took an implant made of silicone rubber and put it next to her left vocal cord to hold it in place, then asked her to speak. They removed it, adjusted the size by hand-carving it, replaced it and had her try again. When her voice was back to its natural tone, they knew it fit perfectly. And once in place, the implant — which is permanent and should last a lifetime — allowed her to speak out loud again for the first time in nearly two years."
"I couldn’t believe it was true," Williams-Paisley said. "It felt great."
Meanwhile, before the throat surgery, doctors could not determine her medical issue since they could not actually see her vocal cords. Dr. Garrett described Williams-Paisley’s muscle tension as, "It's almost like you put a purse string around the tissue that sits right up above the vocal cords, and it's squeezing."
For a year, the "According to Jim" actress tried to treat her diagnosis, but she said her voice did not return.
She practiced both traditional and unorthodox solutions, including "antidepressants, Invisalign braces, a vegan diet, hypnosis, a psychic — even an astrologer."
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"You hope the therapy fixes the problem, but sometimes you'll uncover an underlying problem that was not initially apparent, which is exactly what happened with Kimberly," the doctor continued to explain.
Vanderbilt speech pathologist Jennifer Muckala added that Williams-Paisley’s muscles had been tensing up to compensate for her vocal cords.
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"She had to exert a lot of force to try and bring her vocal cords together because of the weak left vocal cord… She was essentially a leaking valve."
Once the medical procedure was complete, the "Father of the Bride" actress shared her neck scar from the throat surgery on social media. She protected the scar from the sun by wearing scarves.
"I’m not self-conscious about it. I’m proud. It’s part of my story," she said.
The 53-year-old actress, who is married to country star Brad Paisley, shared that her husband and kids were her biggest support system.
While Williams-Paisley went through her tumultuous medical journey, she could only be heard whispering.
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Although her husband attempted to be supportive, he admitted he was not always helpful.
"I remember saying, 'Let me hear you project.' 'Learn to power through it.' I thought maybe she just needed to clear her throat," he told People. "It was so stupid and naive."
The country singer gifted his wife a bright pink megaphone that she could use to call the boys.
"It was one of the kindest things Brad did for me — it was really hilarious and so necessary," she added. "I started using it immediately. He is so good at keeping me laughing."
The actress shares sons William and Jasper with Brad, whom she married in 2003.
While Williams-Paisley recovers from her vocal strain, she is slated to host the third season of Fox’s reality show "Farmer Wants a Wife," which is set to premiere March 20.