Reclaiming the Voice

Magdalena Manoli and Jayan Juneja both experienced speech impediments at an early age.

When Magdalena Manoli and her family moved to Edmonton from Moldova in 2018, she was only eight years old and excited for the new life ahead of her. But she was having trouble with her speech, a situation exacerbated by the bullying she was experiencing at school.

Engineering student Jayan Juneja relates closely to Magdalena's story. An immigrant from India, he too began stuttering at an early age (four years old), and he too experienced bullying for his stutter while growing up.

“Stuttering was affecting my confidence, especially in a new country, trying to make new friends,” Jayan recalls. “Growing up, there were many instances where being bullied for my stuttering induced my panic attacks. Because of my stuttering, I was mostly avoiding speaking at all.”

Magdalena’s and Jayan’s parents struggled to help their children — until they discovered the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR) at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Research into stuttering is at the core of ISTAR, an institute that relies on support from donors, and informs their specialized treatment of children, teens and adults who stutter. ISTAR offers advanced professional training for speech-language pathology students and clinicians, and promotes public awareness of stuttering and its treatment.

“These donations help to provide financial assistance to our clients who are in need, and without them many clients would not be able to receive life-changing therapy.” — Holly Lomheim, ISTAR Clinic Director

“I did therapy for almost a year. It was amazing,” says Magdalena. “I started to trust in myself. I practised my speech every day and now I have come along so far! I am not insecure about my speech anymore and I feel more confident to speak around new people.”

Since ISTAR is a fee-for-service clinic, attending can be financially challenging for some clients. But thanks to the generosity of longtime supporters such as the Elks of Canada and donor-funded programs like the ISTAR Client Assistance Program, people like Magdalena and Jayan can access the treatment they need to become vibrant, expressive and more confident conversing in any situation.

“We continue to be blessed with receiving generous donations from the Elks of Canada Lodges, the Alberta Elks Foundation, the Canadian Royal Purple Lodges, the Elks & Royal Purple Fund for Children, our Endowment Grants, and compassionate individual donors,” says Holly Lomheim, ISTAR's clinical director. “These donations help to provide financial assistance to our clients who are in need, and without them many clients would not be able to receive life-changing therapy.”

Now 13 years old, Magdalena has blossomed into a more confident, outgoing child who is thriving socially and achieving better academic results at school. Meanwhile, Jayan has accepted a role in student leadership, and has become an accomplished public speaker.

The support of donors, their families and the entire ISTAR community was a collective effort in helping both Magdalena and Jayan realizing their dreams, and in the rediscovery of voices once silenced due to lack of confidence, but now powerfully reclaimed.