Speaking Up: How a Summer at ISTAR Changed Jamie’s Life

Jamie with his mother, Brooke (right) and his grandmother, Janie, who he calls ‘Nanmae’ (left). Photo supplied.

For most of his life, Jamie Tyrrell had plenty to say. The challenge was getting the words out.

Jamie, now 10, lives in the close-knit community of Spruce Grove, Alberta with his mom, Brooke Tyrrell. Brooke went through nursing school as a single mom when Jamie was a baby, then years of shift work in hospitals, and since 2023 has worked with St. Albert Public Schools supporting elementary children with medical needs.

Jamie spends his days outdoors — biking with neighbourhood friends, sledding in winter, quadding in summer, shooting hoops whenever he can. He loves to bake, or cook, and work on science projects. He is a free spirit, but also patient and gentle, and he enjoys spending time with his younger cousins, often taking on the role of teacher.

But alongside his energetic personality, Jamie has lived with a stutter since he first began speaking.

A Stutter That Grew With Him

“Jamie was what I felt was a very early talker. He was talking a million miles a minute, full sentences at a very young age. And the stutter was there from the very beginning,” Brooke recalls.

At first, she hoped it might improve as he grew older. When Jamie was four, they attended a speech therapy session and received tools to practice at home. Brooke worked with him as much as she could, but the strategies didn’t seem to stick. Over the years, the stutter not only persisted — it worsened.

As Jamie grew older, the impact went beyond speech.

“The anxiety [built] up for him trying to meet new friends and eventually he completely stopped speaking to any new strangers,” Brooke says. “He would do head nods instead.” Simple moments became stressful: ordering food at restaurants, telling people his name somewhere new. “The last couple years were very hard for him with his speech,” she says.

Four Weeks That Changed Everything

Everything began to change when Brooke learned about the intensive summer program offered by ISTAR, the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research at the University of Alberta. After hearing about the program through her mother — Jamie’s beloved Nanmae — Brooke began researching options. The cost initially felt overwhelming, but support from ICAP donor funding helped make it possible.

“When you’re a parent, you know you’ll just figure it out,” Brooke says. “You’d do absolutely anything to help your kid.”

In the summer of 2025, Jamie enrolled in ISTAR’s four-week Intensive Children’s Program in Calgary. The program began with three weeks of online sessions where Jamie worked with speech therapists and SLP graduate students to learn new speaking techniques. The final week was an in-person Camp, giving participants the chance to practice their skills in real-world situations.

The first real-world test came quickly: the mission to order food at a Subway restaurant.

Jamie tried using the techniques he had learned, but the words wouldn’t come. He left in tears, feeling discouraged. But the supportive environment at ISTAR — therapists, student clinicians, and other children in the program — helped him regroup and try again.

By the end of the week, Jamie was ready to test himself. 

A New Voice

During a trip to the Calgary Zoo, the children were given a simple mission: talk to three zoo attendants throughout the day. Jamie approached the first one nervously, used his speech strategies — and the words came out smoothly.

“After the first one, Jamie realized he was able to do it,” Brooke says. “He asked his first question using his skills and it came out so smoothly. He felt incredibly proud of himself.”

From that moment on, the zoo became less about animals and more about conversation. Jamie eagerly searched for more staff to talk to, asking questions and practicing his skills again with as many people as possible.

“All he wanted to do all day was use his voice,” Brooke says. “You can imagine the mother behind this boy holding back tears all day.”

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