Kimberly Williams Paisley talks about her intensive three-hour medical procedure for her rare voice disorder.
After Williams-Paisley discovered her life-changing diagnosis, which ultimately left her unable to speak for two years, the actress contacted top doctors to get her voice back.
During her visit to the Vanderbilt Voice Center in Nashville, Tennessee in January 2023, where healthcare workers treated celebrities such as Johnny Cash and Wynonna Judd, she was diagnosed with: dysphonia of muscle tensionbecause she had partial paralysis of her left vocal cord.
KIMBERLY WILLIAMS-PAISLEY ‘FELT trapped in my own body’ when she couldn’t speak for two years
Kimberly Williams-Paisley, wife of country singer Brad Paisley, told how she was awake during her three-hour throat surgery after doctors diagnosed her with muscle tension dysphonia. (Kimberly Williams Paisley/Instagram; Getty)
Muscle tone dysphonia is a change in the sound or feel of your voice due to excessive muscle tension in and around the larynx, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Doctors inserted a telescope through Williams-Paisley’s nose and down her throat 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,” says Dr. Gaelyn Garrett, executive medical director of the Voice Center.
“Farmer Wants a Wife” host Kimberly Williams-Paisley explained her medical procedure while saying she was “fully present.” (Taylor Hill)
Before doctors could proceed with the throat surgery, they injected a hyaluronic acid filler into her left cord to see if swelling it would help her speak.
The medical team then agreed that she needed a three-hour laryngoplasty surgery – “a procedure that moves the weak left vocal cord closer to the right.”
“We wanted to fine-tune the cord as best we could,” said Dr. Garrett, who performed the surgery along with her medical team.
“We had her awake so we could hear how the voice changes as we manipulated the position of the vocal cords. We are trying to get the natural voice back.”
Williams-Paisley described the procedure as “bizarre” as she was fully awake when doctors opened her throat.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley described the procedure as “bizarre” as she was fully awake when doctors opened her throat. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
“They put up a plastic sheet so I couldn’t see anything but my throat on a screen they set up. It looked like another mouth, a big hole!”
Williams-Paisley remained cheerful during the procedure, as she explained that being present during the surgery was “beautifully symbolic.” I was really ready.”
According to People, “during the procedure, the team took an implant made of silicone rubber and placed it next to her left vocal cord to hold it in place, then asked her to speak. They removed it and adjusted the size by hand cut it out, replaced it and had her try again. When her voice returned to its natural tone, they knew it was a perfect fit. And once in place, the implant – which is permanent and should last a lifetime – made her able to speak out loud again talking for the first time in almost two years.”
“I couldn’t believe it was true,” Williams-Paisley said. “It felt great.”
Meanwhile, before the throat surgery, doctors couldn’t diagnose her medical problem because they couldn’t actually see her vocal cords. Dr. Garrett described Williams-Paisley muscle strain as, “It’s almost like putting a purse string around the tissue that’s right above the vocal cords and squeezing it.”
For a year, the “According to Jim” actress tried to treat her diagnosis, but she said her voice did not return.
For a year, the “According to Jim” actress tried to treat her diagnosis, but she said her voice did not return. (John Shearer/WireImage/Getty Images)
She employed both traditional and unorthodox solutions, including “antidepressants, Invisalign braces, a vegan diet, hypnosis, a psychic – even an astrologer.”
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“You hope that therapy will solve the problem, but sometimes you will discover an underlying problem that wasn’t apparent at first, and that’s exactly what happened to Kimberly,” the doctor continued.
Vanderbilt speech pathologist Jennifer Muckala added that Williams-Paisley’s muscles were tense to compensate for her vocal cords.
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“She had to exert a lot of force to bring her vocal cords together because of the weakness of the left vocal cord… She was essentially a leaky valve.”
After the medical procedure was completed, 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 of it. It’s part of my story,” she said.
The 53-year-old actress, who is married to country star Brad Paisley, said her husband and children were her biggest support system. (Evan Agostini/Invisie/AP)
The 53-year-old actress, who is married to country star Brad Paisleyshared that her husband and children were her biggest support system.
As Williams-Paisley went through her tumultuous medical journey, all she could hear was whispering.
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Although her husband tried to be supportive, he admitted that he was not always helpful.
“I remember saying, ‘Let me hear your project.’ “Learn to get through it.” I thought maybe she should just clear her throat,” he told People. “It was so stupid and naive.”
The actress shares sons William and Jasper with Brad Paisley, whom she married in 2003. (Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic)
The country singer gave his wife a bright pink megaphone with which she could call the boys.
“It was one of the kindest things Brad did for me – it was absolutely hilarious and so necessary,” she added. “I started doing it right away. He’s so good at keeping me laughing.”
The actress shares sons William and Jasper with Brad, whom she married in 2003.
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While Williams-Paisley recovers from her vocal strain, she will host the third season of Fox’s reality show “Farmer wants a wife”, which premieres on March 20.
