This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
On July 15, 2019, Marie McCreadie's story of losing her voice at 13 and regaining it 12 years later was published in a book titled 'Voiceless'.
Marie's ordeal began when she was just 13 years old and contracted a mysterious illness that left her unable to speak.
Despite undergoing various tests, doctors were unable to determine the cause of her condition, and she was eventually told that it was likely a virus.
However, 12 years later, Marie discovered that the true cause of her voice loss was an old coin that had become lodged between her vocal cords, preventing them from vibrating.
Marie's experience was not only physically challenging but also emotionally traumatic, particularly when she was ostracized and accused of being a witch by her teachers at St Anne's Catholic school in Dapto, Australia.
One of the priests at the school even went so far as to tell the other girls that Marie's voice loss was the 'work of the devil', a comment that stuck with her for years.
