By: Bayero Ade
Althia Bryden, a 58-year-old woman from Highbury, north London, has become the center of a medical mystery after suffering a stroke earlier this year that resulted in a dramatic change to her speech.
On May 4, Althia was discovered unresponsive in bed, with the right side of her face drooping. Rushed to the hospital, doctors confirmed she had experienced a stroke, leaving her unable to speak and with no sensation in the upper-right side of her body. Further tests revealed the cause: a carotid web, a rare structural abnormality in her neck that hindered blood flow to her brain.
Surgeons successfully removed the anomaly in August, but what happened next left everyone in shock. While recovering in intensive care the day after the surgery, Althia suddenly began speaking again. “Out of nowhere, I just started talking,” she said. The medical staff, equally astonished, gathered to witness the unexpected event.
But there was an even more surprising development—her voice had changed. Althia, who had never visited Italy nor spoken Italian, was now speaking with a pronounced Italian accent, using phrases like “mamma mia” and “bambino.”
“I’ve lived in London all my life, and my family is Jamaican, so this was completely bizarre,” she explained.
Doctors diagnosed Althia with Foreign Accent Syndrome, a rare neurological condition where brain injury leads to speech patterns resembling a foreign accent. Medical professionals were taken aback, with many admitting they had never encountered the syndrome before.
“It’s when I realized how rare this condition really is,” Althia said. “I wish more people knew about it.”
While grateful to have survived the stroke, Althia struggles with the sudden shift in her accent, which has left her feeling like a different person. “Even my laugh isn’t the same,” she said. “I feel like a stranger to myself. It’s heartbreaking.”
Each day, Althia hopes to regain her original voice, though medical experts remain uncertain whether that will happen. “I don’t know where to go to find the switch to turn this off,” she shared.
Despite the challenges, Althia has found comfort through support from the Stroke Association. With home visits and support groups, she is learning to accept her new reality. “This is part of my story now, and I shouldn’t be ashamed,” she said.
Still, Althia longs to connect with others who share her experience. “I feel so isolated. I want to meet someone else with this so I can relate and feel less alone,” she added.
Althia’s journey brings attention to the rare and life-altering effects of Foreign Accent Syndrome, leaving her in search of understanding and her lost sense of identity.
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