Mother Seeks to Recover Late Son's Custom Voice Recording on Waze

For nearly five years, every time Gefen Chova started her car and launched Waze, she was greeted by the voice of her son, Eitan Michael Chova, who passed away at the age of 13 and a half after a prolonged battle with cancer. Eitan had recorded his own voice for the navigation app, guiding his mother with phrases laced with his signature humor, such as "Let's go, you've arrived at your destination" and "Speed trap ahead."

Eitan passed away on January 6, 2022, following a lengthy and courageous fight against lymphoma and leukemia. After beating the disease the first time, it returned four and a half years later, just two weeks before his bar mitzvah. "He died at home, in my arms, in my embrace, as I whispered in his ear that I was there for him," Gefen recalls.

Following his death, the navigation prompts became one of the family's most precious keepsakes. Recently, however, the custom voice recording disappeared from the application, prompting Gefen to launch a public appeal for assistance in recovering the lost audio files. Despite reaching out to the company, representatives stated that technical limitations prevent the restoration of the deleted voice pack.

In response to inquiries, Waze issued a statement expressing deep sympathy for the family's loss. "The pain and difficult feelings surrounding the loss of a cherished memory touched our hearts deeply," the company said. "In light of this, we conducted a thorough investigation of the case, but unfortunately, it was not possible to restore the son's voice."

Alongside her efforts to recover the recording, Gefen is working to establish "Bustan Eitan," an orchard and memorial site behind her home in Moshav Dekel near the Gaza envelope. There, she hosts groups for tours and shares the story of her son's life, his resilience, and finding growth amidst profound loss.