Woman down with stroke, wakes up speaking Italian Language
Woman down with stroke, wakes up speaking Italian Language
58-year-old, Althia Bryden, from Highbury, North London, has found herself at the center of a baffling medical mystery following a stroke she endured earlier this year.
On May 4, she was discovered unresponsive in her bed, her face bearing a clear droop on the right side, signaling the sudden onset of a medical crisis.
Rushed to the hospital, doctors diagnosed her with a stroke that left her unable to speak and numb on the upper-right side of her body.
Further tests revealed the underlying cause: a rare structural abnormality in her neck called a carotid web, which impeded blood flow to the brain.
In August, surgeons successfully removed the abnormality, leading to an unexpected turn of events.
The day after the surgery, while recovering in intensive care, Althia was awakened by a nurse for a routine blood pressure check. To everyone’s astonishment, she began speaking.
“Out of nowhere, I just started talking,” Althia recalled. “The nurse was as surprised as I was. She quickly called in colleagues to witness it. No one could believe I was speaking after such a long silence.”
However, this miraculous recovery came with a baffling twist. Medical staff soon noticed a drastic change in her voice.
“They asked me if I had an Italian accent before the stroke, commenting that my accent now sounded very strong,” she said. “I was so confused, I didn’t know what was happening.”
Althia, who has lived in London her entire life and whose family is from Jamaica, had never been to Italy or spoken Italian. Yet, she now speaks with a distinct Italian accent and frequently uses phrases like “mamma mia,” “bambino,” and “si.”
“Before, I didn’t sound like the Queen, but I was definitely British,” she said. “Now, I sound completely different.”
Her speech therapist diagnosed her with Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS), a rare condition in which brain damage leads to speech that mimics an unfamiliar accent.
According to the NHS, this phenomenon typically follows neurological damage, such as a stroke.
“Doctors, nurses, and therapists were amazed. None of them had encountered Foreign Accent Syndrome in their careers,” Althia shared.
“That’s when I realized how rare this condition is. I just wish more people knew about it.”
Although grateful to have survived the stroke, Althia struggles with the emotional toll the condition has taken on her sense of self. “Even my laugh has changed… I’m not me anymore. It feels like I’m a clown, with people watching me perform,” she admitted.
“It’s heartbreaking – everything about me feels different, including my body language. People aren’t meeting the person I was. I don’t even recognize myself anymore.”
Each day, she wakes up hoping her original accent will return, but both doctors and speech therapists are uncertain whether that will ever happen.
“I’m still searching for the person I used to be,” Althia said. “Where do I go to find the button to turn all of this off?”
Since her stroke, Althia has received support from the Stroke Association, including home visits and participation in support groups. While these have helped her adjust to her new reality, she often feels isolated.
“I’m still coming to terms with everything,” she said.
“But it’s a lonely journey.”
News
Tinubu mourns Abubakar’s passing, the Imam who shielded over 200 Christians in his mosque during communal riot
Tinubu mourns Abubakar’s passing, the Imam who shielded over 200 Christians in his mosque during communal riot
President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Imam Abdullahi Abubakar, Chief Imam of Nghar village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau, who passed away at 92.
This is contained in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Friday in Abuja.
The late cleric gained national and international recognition in 2018 for sheltering more than 200 Christians during communal violence in Plateau.
Tinubu described Abubakar as an extraordinary religious leader whose life exemplified faith, courage and a deep reverence for the sanctity of human life.
“At such a time when tribal and religious tendencies seemed to overwhelm reason, Imam Abubakar stood firmly on the side of peace, benevolence and conscience.
“Mindless of the enormous risk to his own life, the noble cleric chose humanity over division, love as opposed to hatred and embrace rather than rejection,” the President said.
He said the Imam’s actions embodied the true essence of faith and delivered a powerful message beyond sermons.
The President noted that the cleric’s uncommon bravery earned him local and international honours celebrating peaceful coexistence.
“I urge religious and community leaders to imbibe and preach the spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful togetherness as expounded in the life of Imam Abubakar,” Tinubu said.
He prayed that God grants the late Imam eternal rest and rewards him for his courage and good deeds. (NAN)
News
Govt. introduces solar installation, garment making, GSM repairs in jss curriculum
Govt. introduces solar installation, garment making, GSM repairs in jss curriculum
The Anambra Government has introduced 15 entrepreneurial subjects into the Junior Secondary School (JSS) curriculum to enhance students’ practical skills and foster an entrepreneurial mindset.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new subjects include solar installation, garment making, GSM repairs, agriculture and processing, plumbing, tiling, POP installation and event management.
Others are bakery, hairstyling, make-up, interior design, CCTV/intercom installation, digital literacy, information technology and robotics.
Prof. Nkechi Ikediugwu, Chairperson ,Post Primary Schools Service Commission (PPSSC), while speaking at the occasion in Awka on Friday, said the initiative was aimed at repositioning education to meet contemporary needs.
Ikediugwu noted that in a rapidly changing world, education should go beyond theory and examinations to equip students with practical skills, creativity, innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset.
“The goal of the programme is to prepare learners, not only to seek jobs but to create value, generate employment and contribute meaningfully to the economic development of the state,”she said.
Mr Cyril Nwuche of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, delivered a paper titled “Building Entrepreneurial Secondary Schools: Why Every School Needs an Entrepreneurship Club”.
Nwuche said the introduction of entrepreneurial subjects showed that the government was on the path to transforming the state’s economy.
“Traditional academic instruction alone is no longer sufficient to prepare children for the future.
“There is the need for schools to embrace practical and skill-based learning to enable students to thrive in a dynamic global environment, ” he said. (NAN)
News
Two men docked for allegedly defiling underaged girl
Two men docked for allegedly defiling underaged girl
The police in Lagos on Friday, charged two men before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defiling an 11- year-old girl.
The defendants are: Prince Tomnyie, 40, a businessman, who resides at Agege, and Micheal Adenuga, 24, a furniture maker, who resides at Atere Street in Lekki.
They are standing trial on charges of defilement, and had each pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecutor, ASP Adegoke Ademigbuji told the court that they committed the offence sometimes in December 2024, and September 2025, at Langbasa Ajah and Igbara Lekki, Lagos .
The prosecutor alleged that the victim’s father, had taken his daughter for medical check and it was discovered that the minor had been defiled.
The prosecution alleged that the victim had told her father that his friend, Tomnyie, defiled her sometimes ago.
Ademigbuji alleged that the victim also mentioned the second defendant’s name who lives in their neigbourhood.
The offence contravenes the provisons of section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr L. A Owolabi, granted the defendants bail in the sum of of N600,000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.
He adjourned the case until March 5, for mention. (NAN)
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