Heidi Skok, a professional opera singer who performed at the Metropolitan Opera, harbored a painful secret for years.
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CLEVELAND — Struggling with persistent vocal issues, Heidi Skok, a professional soprano, found herself exhausted and ashamed, wondering how she would make it through rehearsals.
"I would be tired all the time," Skok revealed. "I'd be trying to figure out how I was going to get through rehearsals the next day. And I was ashamed because I was having this problem, and I didn't know what it was."
For nearly 25 years, Skok sang in the wrong vocal range, which may have exacerbated her vocal challenges. Initially misdiagnosed with vocal nodes - a common condition affecting one in three singers - she continued to struggle with her voice.
A breakthrough came when she consulted Dr. Michael Benninger, professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, as well as a renowned expert in treating professional voices. Dr. Benninger discovered Skok's condition was more complex than typical vocal nodes, with unique blood vessel formations around the lesions.
Using a specialized KTP laser, Dr. Benninger surgically removed the lesions and treated the surrounding blood vessels. "In addition to removing the two lesions, we kind of zapped all those little vessels," he explained.
The surgery was a success. Within eight weeks, Skok made her professional contralto debut with First Coast Opera in Saint Augustine, Florida. "I felt like a million bucks," she said. "My recovery was very swift."
Today, Skok is an advocate for vocal health, proving that with proper medical intervention and support, singers can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges and rediscover their voice. It something she teaches her vocal students at skokstudio.org as well.
Her message is clear: these issues don't have to remain a secret. Help is available, and with the right support, artists can find their way back to the stage.