Page 1 - Good News September 2014 paper

turned forty in February 2004 - a watershed communicate, my consulting business, and much
moment in my life. My husband sent our children, that defined me. My family and friends had to learn
Iaged 9 and twins of 6, to school, and then brought sign language and become my voice. When the
me breakfast in bed. Within hours my vocal cords Botox was no longer effective I had titanium plates
went into laryngeal spasm and I could not breathe. inserted into my larynx and a permanent unsightly
tracheotomy. I was trapped in a world of silence on a
Within days, life as I had known it came to an abrupt traumatic journey of self-discovery. Where was my
end. My vocal cords continued to spasm intermit- God in all of this?
tently, and I had no control over speech or sound.
My treatment protocol involved Botox injections to A few weeks before I lost my voice a pastor had given
my vocal cords every eight weeks to paralyse them, me a prophetic word indicating that God would use
so that I could breathe. However, paralysis of the me to teach, preach and share His Word; surely I
cords impacted my ability to swallow and needed a voice for that? I decided that I had a choice
obliterated my speech completely. I was told this to take God at His word or accept what looked like a
condition was chronic - I would never speak again! devastating situation. I wrote on a piece of paper: “I
Continued on p. 2
My world imploded. I lost my health, my ability to Continued on p. 2 Kim Ballantine