Mike Willis just wants to go to the pub.
He wants to stroll down the street, walk into a bar, and shoot the breeze with his friends. But the Cambridge, England, resident can’t do that anymore. Over the last six years, Willis, 71, has lost the ability to speak and socialize because of a neurodegenerative disorder.
“If I go to a bar or restaurant to meet a friend, I take my wife to give them someone to talk to,” Willis told STAT in an email. “Otherwise I’d be sitting in near silence, incapable of making myself heard.”
This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers
Unlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+.
Already have an account? Log in
