London Woman Wakes Up With Italian Accent After Stroke
hang in there: to persevere even when things are hard
Althia Bryden went to bed British and woke up sounding Italian. The 58-year-old London grandmother’s stroke left her unable to speak at first. After recovering from surgery, she suddenly started speaking English with an Italian accent! This was shocking because Althia has never been to Italy or spoken Italian.
Althia has foreign accent syndrome, caused by damage to areas of the brain that control speech. The name of this rare condition is not accurate because it is not actually a foreign accent. It is a change in one’s pronunciation that other people misinterpret as a foreign accent.
Recovery can be slow, and patients often need speech therapy or other support. Althia is hanging in there, even though the experience has been confusing and difficult.
“I’m not me,” Althia says sadly. “People aren’t meeting the original me.” Though grateful to be alive, she wakes each morning hoping her British voice will return.
Sample sentences
My friend was feeling sad after losing his job, so I told him to hang in there. Things will get better.
The athlete was tired during the race, but she hung in there and finished strong.
When learning a new language feels too hard, remember to hang in there. You will improve with time.
Read More: ‘A stroke left me with an Italian accent’