Kimberly Williams-Paisley, wife of Brad Paisley, is on the other side of one of the most challenging experiences of her life. The actress and activist lost her voice in the fall of 2022, when she realized, while hosting her annual Alzheimer’s Association fundraiser Dance Party to End ALZ, that she was having trouble speaking. At the time, her husband, known for more than 25 years for his singing, thought she had overused her voice, and just needed to rest her vocal cords for a few days and her voice would come back.

“Because I only had my own experience to deal with, I remember thinking, ‘You are going to be fine. Give a few days and it’ll come back,'” Paisley recalls to People. “I remember saying, ‘Let me hear you project.’ ‘Learn to power through it.’ I thought maybe she just needed to clear her throat. It was so stupid and naive.”

Williams-Paisley was ultimately diagnosed with having a partially-paralyzed vocal cord, having surgery in August to repair the damage. But until the surgery, Williams-Paisley went almost two years struggling to be heard, a challenge for anyone, but especially the mother of two sons.

“It was really hard because she would yell upstairs, ‘Hey, boys, come downstairs, dinner’s ready,'” and they could never hear her,” Paisley recalls. To help, Paisley gave his wife a bright pink megaphone to help her be heard.

“It was one of the kindest things Brad did for me — it was really hilarious and so necessary,” Williams-Paisley recalls. “I started using it immediately. He is so good at keeping me laughing.”

Photo Credit: Derek Cressman

The family had to make other concessions as well, stepping in to talk when she was unable to.

“It was so tiring for me to talk on the phone, so my kids or Brad would talk for me,” Williams-Paisley shares. “My kids were great cheerleaders for me. At an event, they knew if someone I wanted to talk to was walking away and I couldn’t get them, and they’d get them for me. They’re used to assisting me, which is really sweet … I remember just sitting in the car, sobbing, like, ‘This is so embarrassing. I want to be involved, but I just don’t know how.'”

The Grand Ole Opry member gained new respect for his wife of 21 years, as he watched her be unable to use her voice, for anything.

“This is somebody who lives to talk with people. And she wouldn’t want to,” he says. “Seeing her fight to figure it out was amazing. There was never a moment where she was just going to give up. It was inspiring.”

Williams-Paisley also gained new admiration for her family, and how they helped her cope with the terrifying ordeal.

“I am so grateful that I had Brad and the boys with me through this,” she says. “They saw me at my most vulnerable and my weakest moments. They made me feel less alone.”

Photo Credit: Sean O’Halloran

Paisley and Williams-Paisley recently announced they are opening a second location of The Store, a nonprofit the couple began in 2020 to offer food choices and dignity to those struggling with food insecurity.

“When we opened The Store in 2020, we were grateful to be able to help support our neighbors in need through a challenging year, including devastating tornadoes and a global pandemic,” the couple says in a statement. “It has always been our goal to expand this effort. We are thrilled to announce that The Store will open a second location with our friends at TriStar Centennial to further serve the larger community.”

The Store just hosted the second annual Toy Store, providing gifts for more than 800 children. Find more information at TheStore.org.