Please help me find my voice with vocal surgery

Hi, my name is Claire Fox and I’ve been forced to seek private surgery for an operation on my voicebox that was granted to me four years ago by NHS Tayside — but has been delayed, setback and now postponed indefinitely because of lack of NHS surgical capacity.

The procedure I was supposed to have was a voice feminising procedure - a Cricothyroid Approximation, a procedure to raise my vocal pitch and additionally strengthen my vocal cords. The NHS granted me this as an essential operation in August 2019, but it was cancelled days before when Covid closed down all but essential hospital services in March 2020.

I’ve since been unable to get a date for surgery, and to add further complication, the surgery team no longer performs this procedure — replacing it with Laser-Assisted Glottoplasty (which isn’t yet approved by NHS Tayside). They’ve no idea when, or if, this procedure will ever be approved by NHS Tayside.

In addition, surgical capacity has been reduced by 3/4 from four operations a week to one, so even if this procedure is approved, it may not happen for several years yet. The surgical team has been very apologetic, even suggesting I go private. My GP has been unable to find an alternative NHS Surgical Team.

The effect of this cascade of delays and errors has taken its toll where it has started affecting my ability to function normally. I’ve waited four agonising years, making me moody, lacking confidence, and becoming electively mute (which for a singer/songwriter is one of the worst things possible). I haven’t released any new music since 2022 because of it.

This procedure is straightforward and almost trivial — private surgeons in the UK (and more around the world) perform this with an exceptionally high success-rate. The effect will be to give me back my voice so I can function as a singer.

The costs of the procedure include voice therapy to adjust my vocal cords and allow some post surgery recuperative time. I can make bills, pay the rent, afford groceries and so on, but private surgery is well out of my reach.

BUT YOU CAN HELP.

A donation, no matter how small, would help enormously. I don't have any confidence or assurances that I will ever be able to have this performed on the NHS now, as it’s visibly crumbling. The impact on my life has been disastrous and debilitating, my confidence is shot, I barely speak and it’s affecting my relationships and work. I wish to find my voice again, I wish to sing and speak and contribute to the lively cacophony of this world and you can help me do that!

Please donate. Even a small donation will help me get my life back on track.