They can now treat dysphonia with botox injections into the vocal cords. I have a friend that gets her injections about every 4-5 weeks at the Emory Clinic.

Fascinating experience to share. I wish her the best.

This is going to sound bizarre, but I was doing a college project on her and got to speak to her via phone in 1995. She never mentioned having had cancer. She did tell me why she wasn't working as much. She said she cut way back on her acting due to her desire to spend time with her child (judging by the age of the child when I spoke to Gail, I think she left Dr. Quinn due to pregnancy or perhaps an adoption).
I also suspect her lack of much work in recent years is due to her dysphonia. I just recently found some information about how they had to loop her voice in First Monday for it to even sound the way it did. Since about 1994, her voice has gone steadily down hill. Some mid 90s stage reviews raked her over the coals for her voice.
Does this sound familiar?
"Abductor spasmodic dysphonia A form of spasmodic dysphonia in which sudden involuntary muscle movements or spasms cause the vocal folds to open (abduct). The vocal1908 folds can not vibrate when they are open. The open position of the vocal folds also allows air to escape from the lungs during speech. As a result, the voices of these individuals often sound weak, quiet and breathy or whispery. As with adductor spasmodic dysphonia, the spasms are often absent during activities such as laughing or singing."

I've heard she had lung cancer about '93 and is in remission.

Exactly why I have always adored her.
"Yer a weird kid, an' I don't get ya."

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