Ice Bucket Challenge co-creator gets voice back after losing it to ALS
YONKERS, Westchester County (WABC) -- At first glance, it may have seemed as if Patrick Quinn was giving side eye, but that was the farthest thing from it.
"I type with my eyes and it says what I type," said Quinn.
His eyes are not only the window to his soul but the gateway to his voice, a voice the 35-year-old co-creator of the Ice Bucket Challenge lost over the last year to ALS.
"My voice is a piece of me," said Quinn. "This project has literally given me something back I didn't think was possible."
Through Project Revoice, new technology allows Quinn to type with his eyes, then generates his voice, and it is actually his voice.
"They pulled video clips from old interviews and speeches. They were able to digitally re-create my voice. Pretty crazy," he said.
Quinn is the the first to benefit from the new technology, but says the ALS Association will be working with Project Revoice to give more patients their voices back by the end of the year.
And when you see the smile, after a few intense minutes of silence, you know what sound you'll hear next.
"Having my voice back has really inspired me to get back out there and tell my story," said Quinn. "I don't want to die from ALS, I plan on being part of the cure. This disease will be defeated one day. Why not start with me."
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