PEOPLE
‘LOUD AND CLEAR’ Suffering from a vocal disorder, Toni Gold is doing everything to help others STORY BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI | PHOTOS BY LUIS CHAVEZ
T
oni Gold considers herself one of the lucky ones. The Playa Vista resident was quickly diagnosed with a neurological disorder called spasmodic dysphonia more than 50 years ago. It impacts the vocal cords and makes speech difficult to produce. The “orphan” disease impacts more than 50,000 people. “Back 50 years ago, there wasn’t much known about SD,” she says. “I saw a neurologist who was injecting Botox into the vocal cords to relieve the symptoms. Botox is the only way that one’s voice can be somewhat normal. Unfortunately, Botox doesn’t work for me.” To bring awareness and to raise funds for research, the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association is hosting the virtual Walk for Talk October 7 to October 11. Gold has organized her own walk on Saturday, October 16, in Playa Vista. To participate, email toni.gold2@ gmail.com or to donate, visit givesignup. org/tonigold. “I have lived with SD for more than 50 years, although the last 10 years have seen a more rapid decline in my voice quality,” she says. “For this reason, I decided to have my voice be heard loud and clear by participating in the NSDA’s Walk for Talk fundraising event.” Last year, the association’s walk raised more than $228,000 nationally. Gold’s fundraiser collected $5,000 with 25 attendees. In addition, Gold committed to contribute $20,000 annually for five years. “I’d rather do it when I’m alive, when the money can be used to research a cure because right now there is no cure,” Gold says. “We are aiming to raise money to research a cure, but we also want to raise awareness of the condition. For example, 10 PLAYA VISTA DIRECT | OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2021
Toni Gold is hosting a walk to raise funds for the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association on Saturday, October 16.
