Scottish mum left ‘unable to speak’ after ‘croaky throat’ leads to mystery condition

A Scottish mum has left doctors struggling for a diagnosis after she lost her voice six months ago.

Cassandra Henning, from Kirkwall in Orkney, is barely able to whisper after she developed a lump in her throat in January, reports The Daily Record.

She is now scrambling for answers and says the condition has turned her life upside down. The 35-year-old has been forced to apply for Universal Credit after being signed off from her NHS job.

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Cassandra said: “At first I wasn’t concerned, I thought my voice would come back – that was six months ago.

“It has really affected me mentally and physically. At times all I want to do is cry. I’ve started not wanting to go out by myself.

“My family – especially my fiancé and children – have been a huge support. They have had to be my voice on many occasions.”

Cassie was at work when she began to feel like there was a lump in her throat when she swallowed. Over two days her voice became croaky and by the end of her shift she couldn’t speak to her colleagues.

The mum-of-two continued: “I felt like I needed to keep clearing my throat.

“A few colleagues had mentioned my croaky voice but I wasn’t in pain and didn’t feel unwell. At the end of my shift I tried to hand it over to my colleague and my voice was gone. It was almost a whisper.”

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Her GP initially suspected she had laryngitis but several weeks went by and her voice didn’t return. She was then flown from her island home to Aberdeen Woodend Hospital to see a Ears, Nose and Throat specialist who tested her for cancer.

Medics warned the mum if her voice did return then it would be likely to disappear again in the future.

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Cassie added: “I went back to my GP for a referral to see a specialist at a hospital in Aberdeen. They began looking for signs of cancer but nothing was found.

“I was then referred to speech and language therapy to try and retrain my voice but two weeks on I still can’t talk.

“I’ve been unable to go back to my work. My sick pay is due to stop in August so I’ve had to apply for Universal Credit to keep a little bit of income coming in.

“I am unsure I will ever be able to speak again.”

She tearfully added: “I was playing a video which had me talking in the background. My 9-year-old son asked me who was speaking and then said ”mum I forgot what you used to sound like”‘. That really hit home.”

Cassie’s sister has now set up a fundraiser to help pay for speech therapy at a private clinic in Glasgow as the family can no longer afford to pay the £120 hour sessions.

To donate to Cassie’s fundraiser, click here .