Woman in UK suffers stroke, wakes up with strong Chinese accent
08 Jul 2015
A woman in the UK who woke up with a strong Chinese accent – despite never having visited China was told it was permanent.
Sarah Colwill, 40, from Plymouth, Devon, who suffered a stroke, woke up with a completely different accent.
It was one of only 20 known cases of Foreign Accent Syndrome worldwide.
Sarah said, "They've tried various treatments; they've tried everything, but nothing makes a difference, metro.co.uk reported.
"Being told I would be like this forever was a heartbreaking thing to hear. It was a real bombshell.
"Sometimes people cannot understand me, which is frustrating. But when my speech is really bad, I just don't speak.
"I cannot make my voice sound any different. It is what it is and I cannot change it.
The condition was first identified during the Second World War when a Norwegian woman was hit by shrapnel during an air raid.
The woman who suffered brain damage went on to develop a strong German accent, which led to her being ostracised by her community in 1941.
According to medical staff they had exhausted all of the options they had available for the 40-year-old, who now had to accept her new accent was here to stay.
According to Mrs Colwill, her life had been made a living hell as a result of her bizarre conditions having lost her home, job and most of her previous life.
She said, "My neurologist has signed me off and said I will permanently be this way," mailonline.com reported.
"They've tried various treatments; they've tried everything, but nothing makes a difference.
"When I think about how much my life has changed, it is devastating. Being told I would be like this forever was a heartbreaking thing to hear. It was a real bombshell.
"I try not to dwell on how bad things are and how much I have lost. I think how lucky I am to be able to still do what I do and try and find a positive in every day.
"I am still the same person inside. Of course, people who did not know me before have met a totally different person - but I am still Sarah from Plymouth.
"It took me a while to come to terms with it - but it is what it is."
