A grandmother from Highbury in North London, Althia Bryden, has developed a rare Italian accent after suffering a stroke.
The 58-year-old was on May 4 found unresponsive in her bed, her face visibly drooping on the right side. She was rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed she had suffered a stroke, leaving her unable to speak and with no sensation in the upper-right side of her body, reports BBC.
Doctors identified a carotid web in her neck—a rare structure that disrupts blood flow to the brain—as the cause of her stroke. In August, she underwent surgery to remove it.
The day after her procedure, while recovering in intensive care, Althia experienced an unexpected breakthrough. A nurse woke her to check her blood pressure and to everyone’s astonishment, she suddenly began speaking again.
“The nurse looked as shocked as I did,” Althia recalls. “She rushed to get her colleagues. No one could believe I was talking after so long.”
However, her voice sounded completely unfamiliar.
“They asked me if I had an Italian accent before my stroke,” Althia says, “and were telling me I had a strong accent.”
Althia, who has never visited Italy or spoken Italian, now speaks distinctly Italian. She even finds herself using phrases like “mamma mia,” “bambino,” and “si” in casual conversation without realising it.
“Before, I didn’t sound like the Queen, but I sounded British,” she explains. “I’ve always lived in London but all my family are from Jamaica.”
Doctors suspect Althia has developed foreign accent syndrome (FAS), a rare condition caused by brain damage such as from a stroke. The NHS describes FAS as when a person’s speech adopts an accent that others perceive as foreign.
Althia said none of the medical staff had ever encountered foreign accent syndrome in their careers.
While grateful to be alive, Althia said the condition has left her feeling like she’s lost her sense of self.
“I feel like a clown with an upside-down smile that people are watching perform,” she says. “Even my laugh is not the same. I don’t know who I am.”
Every morning, she wakes hoping her original voice will return but doctors and therapists remain uncertain if it ever will.
“I’m still looking for the person I was before,” she laments. “Where’s the button to switch this off?”
Since her stroke, Althia has received help from the Stroke Association including home visits and support groups which have given her some comfort.
She said she would love to meet someone with it to “have that connection.”
