- Doctors suspect rare “Foreign Accent Syndrome”
- Woman grapples with identity crisis after sudden linguistic shift
A British woman, Althia Bryden, 53, woke up speaking fluent Italian after undergoing surgery to remove a blockage in her brain caused by a stroke. The mother of two, who has never visited Italy or studied the language, now fears she may be stuck with her new accent and feels she has “lost her identity.”
“I feel like someone is impersonating me,” Bryden told Great Britain News.
Her doctors believe she may have developed a rare neurological condition known as Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS). The condition often emerges after brain trauma and alters speech patterns to mimic foreign accents.
A Life Turned Upside Down
Bryden’s stroke in May was caused by a rare blockage in her carotid artery, leaving her unable to speak or use the right side of her body. While she initially regained her speech in July, her family was stunned when she began speaking Italian “out of the blue.”
Her husband Winston was left speechless, and their son couldn’t contain his laughter at the sudden transformation. However, for Bryden, the experience is anything but amusing.
“I feel like a clown with an upside-down smile that people are watching perform. They laugh, but I’m heartbroken inside,” she said.
She added, “People aren’t meeting the original me. I don’t know who I am anymore. I wake up every day wishing for my old voice to return.”
Similar Case: Australian Woman Wakes Up With Irish Accent
Bryden’s ordeal isn’t the first time such a bizarre phenomenon has occurred. Earlier this year, an Australian woman woke up with an Irish accent after undergoing surgery, despite never having visited Ireland. Her condition, also linked to FAS, sparked global interest, with experts noting how trauma can drastically alter neural pathways controlling speech.
Seeking Normalcy
Despite her challenges, Bryden remains grateful for surviving the stroke but continues to grapple with her new identity.
“I’m still looking for the person I was before. Where’s the button to switch this off?” she asked.
For now, her journey highlights the mysterious and often life-altering impacts of neurological conditions, leaving even the brightest medical minds searching for answers.
