Interview No. 8
It has been a while since I last posted. Why?? Well, I’ve been incredibly busy with 4-H Dog Obedience and especially agility. I am a leader and am the coordinator for the Marion County 4-H Dog Agility Show at the Marion County Fair. So I was living and breathing fair preparation for the last 3 weeks of July.
However, I did continue to go to speech therapy in order to attempt to correnct my Foreign Accent Syndrome speech. Just recently they have increased the frequency of the sessions, so I hope to improve even faster.
Here is the radio interview I had with Terri Stacey on WIBC radio 93.1 FM in Indianapolis on Tuesday, August 4th.
Click here >>2009.0804 WIBC.08 SMALL to listen to radio interview no. 8.
WIBC Interview 090728
Today I was given a surprise phone call by producer Dan at the 93.1 FM WIBC,
asking if Terri and Joe of the morning team could have me on this morning for a brief interview/ check-in. It has been three weeks since I was on the program and I have had a lot of people asking about why I wasn’t on the radio. I told them I don’t think it is “news”, but it is fascinating. So when I received the phone call, I readily agreed. Plus I just love Terri Lynn Stacey and Big Joe Stayzniak. They are two of my favorite people.
Here is the interview: 09-0728-WIBC-no07-sm
Basically they recapped a bit for those who had never heard me speak on the radio before and also talked a bit about the brown recluse spider bite I received recently. The funniest part of the interview was the very beginnning before I was even put on live with them. Joe was frantically trying to put back together Terri’s microphone which had a missing screw. I was cracking up!! Terri had a screw loose. Imagine?!
No Interview on 7-7
I was asked by several different people why I didn’t talk on WIBC radio this week. I told them that there was just too much happening in the world for me to even fit in the normal Tuesday morning time slot. Blessed boss of WIBC Tom Sevarino lost his battle with cancer. The “gloved one” Michael Jackson’s memorial service planned in California had all of the police and media in a tizzy. How could a small town gal with a rare disorder that is unknown by even much of the medical community compete with that? LOL. Nah, the radio producer even was kind enough to call to apologize, but I totally understand. News was happening.
It was funny, because one of my friends tweeted me fearing that she had missed the time slot of the report. She usually is driving into work at that time and finds the topics we discuss interesting. It has been eye-opening to see how very many people are familiar with Eastside Ellen’s foreign accent syndrome story. They all tell me that it is fascinating, which it is. I’ve run into people at the grocery store, church, the bank and recently the hospital who ask if I am Eastide Ellen. All of them smile!! Yes! They are also so kind as to show true empathy. These people are not just listening into a report, but are identifying with it. What would they do if this happened to them? That’s part of what I love about growing up and living in central Indiana; people really care about their neighbors.
At this point I am unsure as to whether I will continue to report at WIBC on Tuesday mornings. Perhaps the story is no longer newsworthy. I don’t know how programming decisions are made. All I do know is that I am going through something that is so very rare that even mainstream medical doctors don’t know how to handle it. There is an opportunity for pioneering medical research to be made, and I am the kind of person that will share it all. I totally believe that God remains in control of every detail. I trust that there is an ultimate good that will be realized as a result of this trial and the events that are happening even now. I derive great joy in knowing that there are people who are standing beside me in both “good thoughts” and prayers, who are as perplexed as I am. and who are as fascinated and dumbfounded as even the local medical community. We may not know the answers yet, but it is comforting to know that Hoosiers join together in an attempt to help each other.
It is for just such a reason that being on WIBC 93.1 FM “the News and Talk of Indiana” has been a great source of comfort, inspiration, intrigue and humor in a time that otherwise could threaten to undo a person. I am so very proud to call myself a Hoosier — albeit one that sounds like some kind of foreigner. I am still a farmer’s daughter, even though my voice may stand out a bit more when calling in the cows : D
WIBC Interview for June 30th
Today’s interview with Terri Stacey and Big Joe Stayzniak on WIBC 93.1 FM can be heard at the following link. However, before you listen let me explain one thing. Earlier in the morning show, Joe and Terri were talking about a bit of a mystery that is happening at the radio station. Newsman Joe Ullery noted having found two french fries lying there at the station. Previously, there were found two fingernails (of the press-on variety) that had a FRENCH manicure. I found it funny that Joe Ullery has almost made a shrine of the fingernails because they make him feel happy. Why does Joe keep “noticing these things but not disturb the scene”? So it was my bright idea to mention a possible solution to the mystery. LOL
Summary: refer jokingly to the French Connection mystery at the radio station, excited to see neurologist tomorrow for EEG results, singing is fine but speaking is accented, different parts of the brain? Speech therapy scheduled to start in two weeks. When you dream do you speak with your accented voice? Working on words to make it better. Is the accent getting better or not? One step at a time. Happy July 4th everyone! Have a “Bangin’ Time”!
FAS Friends
I met with a new friend tonight who I call “Fishers Fran.” We both have Foreign Accent Syndrome, (an extremely rare
Eastside Ellen and Fishers Fran shake up a local Steak 'n' Shake. ---Photo by waitress Cloe.
medical condition that causes a person to speak with a foreign accent that is not their own) and live in the Indy area.
Fran had some friends tell her about hearing me on the WIBC 93.1 FM radio spots I’ve been doing over the last couple Tuesday mornings by invitation of the Morning Show personalities Terri Stacy and Big Joe Stayzniak. Her friends told her that she must listen. Then Fran took the initiative to call the radio station and they passed along my name and told her I was on FaceBook where she sent me a message.
Last Tuesday evening when we first spoke by phone, Fran had her normal voice. Her foreign accent came on suddenly for her along with left side neuromuscular symptoms back in 2005. Unlike me, her regular voice has returned, but she does have episodes where the accent returns for a few days. In fact she recently was interviewed about her Foreign Accent Syndrome story in an article for the April Issue of a magazine that is popular with the Catholic faith. I am sorry that I do not have the publications name right now, but I will edit this post when I have it.
Today she called to say that her voice has “flipped” so that she has the accent again. Her voice does have strong similarities to my own, but is definitely different. She can say some long “A” sounds that I cannot, and I can pronounce the “SK” sound that she cannot. So it was very enlightening as we met at a northeast side Steak and Shake for a friendly supper. Many patrons stared as we spoke and laughed together. Our waitress asked the inevitable “where are you from” question. To which we both smiled and replied “where do you think?” “Think” was pronounced “Sink” by Fran and more like “Tink” by me. Our waitress took a while to understand the fact that we are not FROM Europe and now living in the Indiana. Rather, we are both Midwestern Americans who are speaking with very strong foreign accents. She guessed Fran as more Eastern European and me she placed as Irish. LOL. Anyway our waitress Cloe was kind enough to snap our photo with my camera.
Given that there have been reportedly less than one hundred cases of Foreign Accent Syndrome ever reported worldwide and that so very few people, including medical professionals, have even heard of the affliction, I believe our budding friendship is an answer to prayer! It was encouraging to talk to someone who understands what it feels like to not have the voice/accent you have had your whole life. I feel greatly blessed by meeting her, and especially since she is within short driving distance.
We may have discovered a new comedy team in the making as well. We thoroughly entertained Fran’s daughters and husband with our silliness as we each corrected the others accent. Though our accents have some similar qualities, Fran sounds more Eastern block European (more Russian), whereas my accent sounds more French mixed with Norwegian. Her husband said that we sound like we are from different parts of Europe, but European all the same. I think it was an encouragement to her family as well as we were able to lightheartedly share our stories. Her family was able to see another person with the same thing happening so that they could feel less alone in the peculiarity of it.
Below is the link to a video that her daughter Celia shot of us. Please be kind to us as this was totally impromptu shooting so I am not wearing any make up and am looking more unkempt than I would have liked. However, the spontaneity of the shoot makes it too good not to post.
Foreign Accent Syndrome Friends
Now, I really would like to hear what you think about this post so please leave a comment. Thanks.
Weekly Check-In At WIBC 93.1 FM
Tuesday mornings at 7:45 a.m. has become a time to report in to the local Indianapolis radio station on what is happening with me and the Foreign Accent Syndrome. This is a time when I pray that God will use me to reach out to the community with what I am learning through this trial. It is a time to reflect and communicate on how people talk to one another. Since communication is one of my greatest passions, I see this as an opportunity and am thankful for the chance to bring some insight as I am going through it.
I do get a lot of compliments on my good attitude as I go through the frustration and predictable concerns of any person going through an unpredictable dilemma. Again, opportunity through the trial, as I am allowed to come back to the fact that even though I do know what is happening . . . God does!!! And there is the source of my peace. Not once is God surprised by what is happening.
Here are the two audiio files for you that can listen to them… the first one in particular is quite small as it is just a teaser.
Then Terri and Jaimie do the actual segment with me at the link below.
The general contents of this weeks report were about
What accent would you like to speak with if you could choose? How long has it been and what have they done for you? How do you react when people keep asking where you are from? What about speech therapy? It is very rare and research and hard to learn about. Will your original voice come back? How people can think or do to people with FAS that are so cruel. Are there any good things as a result of talking with an accent? Do people treat you differently? Mentioning of teaching 4-H dog club. Terri announced my website (this one) Ellen5e.com so that people can keep up and comment themselves.
Just before signing off of this broadcast the producer Dan recorded me saying the following sentence: “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.” They are going to compare me saying this sentence from week to week to see if the accent starts to change back.
They ended the broadcast by playing the Swedish national anthem saying that they may use that in future when I am coming on. However, I do not think that is such a good idea. I do NOT want true Swedes to be offended and as I said in today’s broadcast… though much of my word pronunciations take on a Swedish strong “oo”s and “u”s; it is NOT a true Swedish dialect. So I will be thinking of a different theme song for the segment… do YOU have any good ideas?
As always I appreciate your reading this and sharing any information that YOU may have about this incredibly rare and troubling medical condition called Foreign Accent Syndrome.
