VOCAL CORD SURGERY FOR RARE TUMOR GIVES ABC7 ANCHOR HER VOICE BACK
Samantha Chatman noticed that her smooth, warm timbre was becoming increasingly hoarse.
The weekend morning anchor and investigative reporter for Chicago’s ABC7 initially thought the cause was her allergies or asthma. A scope passed through her nose revealed the cause: a polyp on her vocal cords.
Chatman’s doctor recommended she see University of Chicago Medicine otolaryngologist Brandon Baird, MD, to have it removed.
When Chatman awoke from surgery, she learned that the centimeter-large round mass was more serious than her care team initially thought.
“The mass had grown notably in those three weeks between our two preoperative office visits, and that’s very unlikely for a polyp,” Baird said.
Tests revealed a rare growth: an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, which has only been described in a handful of medical journals. But the tumor was benign.
On April 24, 2024, Baird used microsurgical instruments and a carbon dioxide laser to surgically remove the mass without damaging Chatman’s vocal cords.
Her voice preserved, Chatman finally went back on air in June at ABC7.
