Sunday, 5/25/2025, 8:30am - Like It Is

Vanessa Abraham.

Speechless: How a Speech Therapist Lost Her Ability to Speak and Her Silent Struggle to Reclaim Her Voice and Life is a memoir by Vanessa Abraham, a Speech Pathologist who suddenly faced a rare neurological disease. Within a week, she went from being a mother and full-time employee to being unable to move, eat, or speak, relying entirely on others for care. In this emotional narrative, Abraham recounts her month-long stay in the ICU, grappling with profound challenges as a mother. The anguish of being unable to care for, hold, or communicate with her child weighs heavily on her. She confronts the emotional toll of her condition, including the psychological impact of her ICU experience and Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS).