Matthew was 3 1/2 years old and had been ventilator assisted for eight months before we received the Passy-Muir Valve (PMV). He had become frustrated because he could not communicate. When we first tried the PMV, it was a little difficult, he wore it for just five minutes and cried. The next day he wore it for five hours. It was like opening up a door into his mind. Matthew was very verbal and the PMV allowed him to go to school, talk, sing and to participate with all the other children and be with his friends. In other words, "to be just like any other kid." When Matthew was hospitalized with kidney failure, Matthew and his family had to make the life or death decision regarding dialysis treatment. The Passy-Muir Valve enabled Matthew to express his thoughts and to be actively involved in discussions about treatment, prognosis, quality of life and ultimately to voice his consent to the treatment.

Tom and Debra Poehlmann, Parents of Matthew Poehlmann, Spinal Cord Injury