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He told his wife something he hadn't been able to say for 15 years — using only his eyes.

Technology meets relationships...

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This story was originally published in May 2015 but was updated on May 20, 2016.

This is Don Moir, and in 2015, he was part of something pretty extraordinary.


All images and GIFs from Not Impossible/YouTube.

We'll talk more about that in a second, but first you should know a couple of things.

According to Not Impossible Labs, 26 years ago, Don got married to the love of his life, Lorraine.

Side by side, they worked on their family business.


Their business was a family farm, and getting things done required lots of communication.

They had three kids, a house, and lots of great memories as a family.

In 1995, Don was diagnosed with ALS and, four years later, was fitted with a ventilator. He hasn't spoken since.

Lorraine was devastated because she lost the ability to communicate with her husband and best friend.

But she refused to give up hope.

At first, Lorraine created a letterboard for Don.

She would hold up the board so that Don could form words by looking at a series of letters.

It was a huge step.

The problem was, even with the letterboard, it still took Don a really, really long time to finish even one sentence. He still had trouble expressing basic thoughts and emotions that most other people take for granted.

He could still barely tell his family he loved them.

Enter Mick Ebeling.


He's the founder of Not Impossible Labs, a company that invents things for people with disabilities to make their lives a little easier. He was determined to give Don his voice back.

Mick worked with Don to invent a device that allowed him to communicate independently.

When Don started using the technology, he was suddenly able to communicate faster and more clearly than he had been able to in 15 years — up to two-and-a-half words a minute.

And communicate he did.

Starting with a love letter to his wife.

"My Dear Lorraine, I can't imagine life without you. You have made the last 25 years fly by, and the last 20 with ALS more bearable. I am looking forward to the next 25 years.
Love, Don."

There are many more people like Don, and Mick is helping to scale this technology for others to have the ability to communicate.

Not Impossible's achievements are already being recognized — "Don's Voice" won SXSW's Innovation in Connecting People award for 2016.

Please watch and share Don and Lorraine's story. And for more information, check out Not Impossible.

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