Lulu Miller

I've got to be able to talk.

And then one afternoon, he's sitting at the table with his mom and dad, and he starts to spell out and mouth the words of this idea.

He says, my ventilator has this little valve.

It's a valve that's connected to the machine that lets air come in, into David's lungs, but then... It closes.

So that David's breath, the moisture in his breath, doesn't go back down into the machine and, you know, potentially damage it.

Right.

It's like a door that swings shut behind you.

Yeah.

Yes.

And so David was basically like... Can we do something like that?

Can we take this valve that's on my ventilator, modify it, and put it right where the tray tube goes into my neck so it still lets air in, but then... It closes.

Trapping the air inside my body.

Forcing the air to take its normal path up through the neck.

Up through the vocal cords.

And out.

Meaning, hopefully, possibly... He would be able to talk.

So he tells his father, OK, I need you to do this for me.

Go to the ventilator.

Get that valve.

Tweak this.