Liberal Democrat MP Anna Sabine reports voice recovery after thyroid surgery complications
The Frome and East Somerset MP, who lost her voice for months following a botched thyroid operation, says her vocal strength is returning.
Liberal Democrat MP Anna Sabine has announced that she is seeing signs of vocal recovery after a thyroid operation in June left her with vocal cord paralysis.
The 46‑year‑old MP for Frome and East Somerset explained that the surgery cut one of the nerves to her vocal cords, resulting in a condition that stripped her of her voice for several months.
She recounted waking up after the operation in a Bath hospital and, despite being warned that sensations might feel odd, she soon heard her surgeon apologise, saying, “I’m really sorry, but there has been a mistake and we have caused permanent damage.”
At that point she could only whisper, and when Parliament reconvened after the summer she was forced to use a microphone to take part in debates.
Sabine described the experience as a shock that left her feeling “quite lonely,” adding that “your voice is a really key point of who you are, whether you are an MP or not.”
In a recent update she said she awoke a few weeks ago to find her voice had regained some natural strength and, broadly speaking, it’s back to where it should be.
She noted that the improvement has lifted her spirits after months of uncertainty about whether she would ever speak confidently again.
