Mom’s Voice Restored After 25 Years Thanks to VHS

Quick Smiles:

• Sarah Ezekiel regained her unique voice using a decades-old VHS tape and AI technology.
• Her children heard their mom’s true voice for the first time, bringing emotional moments to the family.
• Sarah hopes her experience encourages others living with similar challenges.

When Sarah Ezekiel rediscovered a short home video from the 1990s, she found an extraordinary gift hidden within—her own real voice, preserved on tape.

Sarah lost her speech to motor neurone disease in 2000 and had relied on computerized technology ever since, never able to share her natural voice with her children.

With only eight seconds of audio, Sarah’s family approached the team at Smartbox and ElevenLabs, who used AI to bring her natural voice back to life.

Simon Poole from Smartbox shared,

“I thought there’s no way we’re going to be able to create a voice using audio that bad.”

Against the odds, the new technology worked, creating an emotional reunion with her true sound after 25 years.

Sarah expressed,

“I love having my voice back. I almost cried when I first heard it. It was a very emotional experience.”

For her daughter Aviva, the result was profound: “It’s amazing, really special and emotional … to be able to hear her as herself — not as a robot.”

Her son Eric agreed, noting, “It really does sound like her … it just comes across more how she is feeling.”

Sarah shared how regaining her true voice helped her feel like herself again and hopes her story inspires others.

“I always tell people with good technology and support, anything and everything is possible,” she said.

Stories like this remind us that moments of hope and renewal can come from the most unexpected places. Keep looking for the good!

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