Savannah Guthrie experienced a profoundly emotional moment when she heard her 'new voice' for the first time following vocal cord surgery. The Today co-anchor has opened up about the challenging recovery process, describing how difficult she found the enforced silence and solitude during her week-long recuperation period.
The Emotional Reveal
In a moving clip that aired on the NBC morning show on Friday, Guthrie broke down in tears during a follow-up medical appointment. The emotional release came when she heard her voice for the first time eight days after her surgical procedure, leading her to hug her doctor in a moment of pure relief and gratitude.
A Challenging Recovery Journey
The 54-year-old television presenter was absent from the Today show for three weeks while recovering before making her much-anticipated return. When reflecting on what she learned from her week of silence, Guthrie described the past month as both 'hard' and 'spiritual'.
'It was hard at first like you have to get used to like you have to get the hang of silence and solitude and being alone with yourself,' Guthrie admitted during her return segment. 'It actually can be kind of terrifying,' she continued. 'But I found it to be a beautiful, beautiful moment and spiritual moment, and I'm so grateful.'
The Surgical Procedure
Guthrie explained that she underwent microscopic laryngeal surgery to address problems with her vocal cords. She had noticed her voice becoming deeper and scratchier over the years, initially attributing it to normal wear and tear and aging. However, the situation deteriorated significantly this past year.
'Sometimes it was hard to get through a sentence,' Guthrie revealed, explaining why she sought help from Dr. Peak Wu, one of the country's leading voice specialists. The doctor discovered she had a hemorrhagic polyp on one side of her vocal cords - which Guthrie described as a 'ruptured blood vessel' - and a vocal nodule or 'callus from overuse' on the other side.
The Silence Challenge
After the one-hour surgical procedure, Guthrie faced what she called 'maybe one of the hardest assignments of my life' - complete vocal rest. She maintained absolute silence for eight days, followed by being 'almost silent for about a week after that.'
She documented her journey before and after the surgery, recording a clip the morning of the procedure saying she 'can't wait' and was 'so ready to get this over with and have a normal voice again.' Post-surgery, her husband filmed her in the recovery room communicating through writing rather than speech.
The Voice Reveal Moment
After maintaining complete silence for a week, Guthrie returned to her doctor's office for what she called the 'big reveal.' Following medical instruction, she slowly began speaking, reciting her familiar Today show introduction that she had delivered for years as an anchor.
'I am using my voice for the first time [since the surgery], and it sounds good, I could cry,' an emotional Guthrie said before hugging her doctor and wiping away tears of relief and joy.
Return to Broadcasting
Guthrie explained that she has been attending voice therapy sessions as part of her recovery process. She made her official return to the Today show on Friday, January 23, after taking three weeks off to properly heal and recover her voice.
Her fellow co-anchors even joked that they 'couldn't recognize her voice' after weeks of not hearing her speak, highlighting the noticeable improvement in her vocal quality following the successful surgical intervention and recovery period.
