Chantal’s voice was silenced by ALS
Chantal Lanthier never fully understood the power of her voice until amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) took it from her.
As her symptoms progressed, simple phrases – thank you, I love you, I’m still here – became words she could no longer speak aloud.
“It feels as if your personality fades into a thick fog, your emotions locked inside you,” explains Chantal. “For me, the worst part is feeling helpless. I’ve become a silent observer.”
ALS is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for voluntary movement — including those that control speaking, swallowing, and breathing. As the muscles weaken, a person’s ability to speak can gradually fade, even though their mind and emotions remain fully intact. This is why, for people like Chantal, losing their voice becomes one of the most devastating losses: it steals not only sound, but connection.
To Chantal, communication and hope are intertwined. Communication connects us to one another, and hope connects us to something larger than the moment we’re in.
How hope and technology restored her voice
Recently, with new technology supported by artificial intelligence (AI), Chantal was able to recreate her voice – the one she had before ALS. When she and her husband heard it for the first time, they both cried.
“I was floored. It had been so long […] It was just like her, not just a machine reading — the intonations, the pauses; everything was there,” rejoices Jocelyn.
Technology recreated the sound – but hope fueled Chantal’s deeply human desire to be known, to connect, and to be heard.
“It gives me the feeling of reconnecting with myself. It’s so realistic that my brain truly believes it’s me […] Being able to converse again as a human being changes my life,” she dictates to the software, which repeats it in the sound of her voice.
Give hope a voice for families living with ALS
Chantal’s journey reminds us that even when ALS takes so much, hope can restore connection, dignity, and the sound of a loved one’s voice. Her story shows how compassion, innovation, and community support can make a real difference.
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👉 Chantal writes a blog where she shares her life from her own perspective. You can read more over here: https://parcequeparfoislapluie.blog/author/chantallanthier/
👉To buy her book: https://parcequeparfoislapluie.blog/livre/