Woman can speak for the first time in 11 years after surgeons replace her voicebox

A woman who has not uttered a word for more than a decade has had her speech restored after she had a pioneering voicebox.
Brenda Jensen, 52, had been unable to speak or breathe on her own for 11 years.
The transplant not only restored her speech but her sense of taste and smell as well. She is now re-learning how to swallow and could soon eat and drink normally again.
Ms Jensen said the operation had performed a 'miracle' and that every day was a new beginning for her.
It is only the second time a voicebox transplant has been performed anywhere in the world.
Ms Jensen from Modesto, California, lost her voice after complications during surgery for kidney failure in 1999.
The breathing tube used in the procedure damaged her throat and caused scar tissue, which meant she could not breathe unaided
She was dependent on a tracheotomy tube for breathing and was only able to communicate through a handheld electronic device which produced artificial robot-like sounds.
Then last October surgeons replaced her larynx (voicebox), thyroid gland and trachea (windpipe), in an 18-hour operation.
Just 13 days afterwards she was able to speak to doctors and her family.
While her voice remains hoarse at times, it has improved significantly since the operation thanks to the regeneration of nerves in her throat.
If all goes well, her tracheotomy tube will soon be removed.
Today she met the international surgical team who performed the transplant at the University of California's Davis Medical Centre.
It included UK surgeon Martin Birchall, professor of laryngology at University College London.
Professor Birchall, said: 'We’ve been amazed how well it’s gone, to be honest.
'I’m very confident she’ll have a normal or nearly normal voice.'
Ms Jensen said: 'I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity. It is a miracle. I'm talking, talking, talking, which just amazes my family and friends.
'"Every day is a new beginning for me. I'm working so hard to use my vocal cords and train my muscles to swallow.
'I'll probably never sing in a choir or anything but it's exciting to talk normally, and I can't wait to eat, drink and swim again.'