Google CEO Has Rare Vocal Cord Condition

Google CEO and co-founder Larry Page has broken his silence about the condition that prevented him from speaking publicly last summer, sparking fears he may have had an undisclosed, life-threatening illness. Page says he is in good health, but his left vocal cord has been paralyzed since he caught a bad cold in 1999, and the second one was paralyzed by another cold last summer, CNN reports. Paralysis in both cords is extremely rare and experts say the condition—which has left Page with a weak, raspy voice—can't currently be reversed, the New York Times reports.

In a post on his Google+ page, Page said he also has the thyroid condition Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and it's not clear whether it is related to his vocal cord problems. "Thankfully, after some initial recovery, I’m fully able to do all I need to at home and at work, though my voice is softer than before," he wrote, adding that Google co-founder Sergey Brin says Page is "probably a better CEO because I choose my words more carefully." Page says he is funding a Voice Health Institute research program to help people with the same condition. (More vocal cord paralysis stories.)