Robert F. Kennedy Jr., diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia in his early 40s, experiences a distinctively raspy voice due to this neurological disorder. As he speaks before Senators regarding his potential role as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, his speech reflects the challenges of the condition, which involves involuntary spasms in the larynx. Despite the lack of a cure, treatments like speech therapy exist. Alongside this condition, Kennedy has also faced various health issues including mercury poisoning and irregular heart rhythm.
"It began as a mild tremble for a couple of years," Kennedy told Oprah Winfrey in 2007, adding that he believed his condition had worsened over the years.
"Spasmodic dysphonia is thought to be caused by abnormal functioning in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia," according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
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