Kauai man finds new hope after surgery to rebuild his voice

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Nearly four weeks ago, Makali’i Andrade of Kauai was preparing for a rare voice surgery in Tennessee.

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The operation went well, and he’s now hopeful for the path ahead.

“I feel good. I can breathe better already,” Andrade said.

His voice may sound soft now, but it is in the early stages of what’s promising to be a strong recovery.


“After my traumatic injury the first time, I started out like this. My nerves [grew back] wrong. They were crossed,” he said. “So this surgery, they had to cut those nerves out and they did four nerve graphs. So it’s like back to square one.”

Still, Andrade is hopeful as ever for the prospect of his voice one day returning.

“Just stoked. Technology man, it’s pretty amazing,” he said.

Andrade nearly died three years ago in a foil surfing accident. It left his trachea severed, and he had long-term vocal paralysis.

In early May, he flew to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee to undergo vocal reconstruction surgery. The medical team documented the six-hour procedure.

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“We were able to rewire the nerves to the diaphragm that helps move the lungs, and then also rewire and strengthen the vocal cords to another nerve,” associate professor of Vanderbilt Otolaryngology Dr. Sarah Rohde said.

They say it’ll take at least six months for him to really start seeing results.

“Those nerves grow imperceptibly slowly, and they have to travel some distance from the branches that we spliced in. But over time, over the next couple of months, he should start to see some improvement in movement of his vocal cords,” Dr. Alex Gelbard, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Otolaryngology professor said.

The nerves grow about a millimeter a day. There’s been just six others times this operation has been performed by doctors at Vanderbilt.

“We’re really proud and excited for him and hopeful that with some time to heal he’ll have a great outcome,” Dr. Rohde added.

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