A rare brain disorder robbed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of his strong speaking voice [View all]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s gruff speaking voice, which at times can make him hard to understand, was front and center during Thursday’s contentious Senate Finance Committee hearing.

The Health and Human Services secretary’s halting delivery was frequently interrupted by senators anxious to get their points across during their five minutes of allotted time.

Kennedy, 71, has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition in which the muscles that open and close his vocal cords spasm involuntarily, creating a strained or strangled quality to his speech. Kennedy has publicly discussed how the condition robbed him of his typically strong speaking voice in his early 40s.

“At that time, I was making a lot of my income doing public speaking, and I could speak to large halls without any amplification,” Kennedy said in a February 2024 interview while running for president.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/rare-brain-disorder-robbed-robert-212219677.html

So that's what a worm-eaten brain gives you.