"I didn't appreciate the value of having a voice until I spent three weeks in intensive care without mine. It was an emotionally trying experience for me until I got my Passy-Muir™ Valve. Though it took a little time to accustom myself to the PMV, I speak as freely and easily now as I ever did before. Four years after my surgery I completed my BA degree in English/creative writing."

"The PMV™ allowed me to take part in class discussions, participate in group activities, make oral presentations, and fill my social calendar with friends who might not otherwise have given me a chance. I am now a graduate student, earning a dual MA/MFA in English/creative writing and in literature. Without my Passy-Muir Valve I would not be able to use the speech recognition software I purchased which enables me, a writer, to type. And, hey, I just got an A on a 20 minute oral presentation that I made in my Victorian literature class!"

Julie M. Jones, Muscular Dystrophy