What I really like about this story, is that they allow her to tell the profound way in which it suddenly turned her life around and didn’t either sensationalize it, nor make her out to be something peculiar. Rather the reporter stressed that the occurrences are rare, but kept the story one of a positive and interesting note. It pulls the audience in to learn more.

I absolutely am thrilled with how Ronda is teaching English to students though she has a foreign accented voice. She is not daunted, but is using her new voice as she points out in a way which actually helps her to interact more with her students than she would have otherwise.

That’s making lemonade out of lemons! Now, if more people will come forward to investigate why this happens and actively seek to connect and study the phenomena, maybe we will see that it is not as rare as it thought. Maybe the medical research will endeavor to actively study those of us who wish to offer ourselves and our experiences for the sake of scientific improvement in this area. At the very least, this is getting legitimized by reputable reports such as this, so that less ignorant and vile statements will be made to those who suffer from a malady which can as of yet not really be easily explained.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Keep on being kind to one another : )

Related Posts

• Some Recent News FAS videos
• Two of My Foreign Accent Syndrome Sisters
• Foreign Accent: Say What?!

Therefore, I am very happy to add to my blog these links to these news stories which were done by JAX TV station in Florida. It is exciting to see some media attention being given to the disorder. Let some people who believe that this is not a “real” problem become less ignorant by getting a little exposure and also help those who are currently dealing with similar stories to take heart.

Here are recent videoes done with fellow Foreign Accent Syndrome friends of mine done by local Florida news TV stations.

This first one is a longer raw interview with Dr. Jack Ryalls from University of Central Florida. He is well known for his expertise in this field of study of the very rare disorder. So it is especially good to hear his insights in this more lengthy piece on what is involved in Foreign Accent Syndrome from his perspective.
Interview with Dr. Jack Ryalls Fox30

Pattie Yakaboski,
Pattie: Finding Her Voice

Video of Paula Westberry
Paula on JAX 2011.11

Related Posts

• What can we do?
• WIBC Interview 090728
• WHAT IT WAS VS. WHAT IT IS

Should this happen in an area that is not frequented by road-kill restraunteers (like Kentucky or Arkansas) or buzzards, a few more car tire passes placed across the remains and a couple of days of drying and stiffening; then; wallah… you have yourself a frisbee squirrel.

Now that you have the proper definition, you can better appreciate why I chose to use the “frisbee squirrel” as an accurate descriptor for my body on some days. On really, excessively weak days I even say “transparent” frisbee squirrel day implying run over even more!

If this were a Bugs Bunny cartoon, maybe someone could just pick me up, shake me a little from side to side, and then blow me back up (like a balloon) into shape!

As it is, I have discovered that severe Chronic Fatigue makes my Foreign Accent Syndrome much worse (so no talking), I am too weak to do anything (so bedrest) and confusion makes reading and writing difficult. That is why you may not hear or see me much, but will see … It’s a Frisbee squirrel day @@=~

Related Posts

• Why does this Kansas woman sound British?
• Some Recent News FAS videos
• Sharpening the Axe

I feel sorry for those who simply can’t accept it. I think that the people who respond with cruel remarks such as “she’s just doing it for attention”, “she sounds like a retard”, or “he’s obviously faking it” are really scared to admit that it could happen… So suddenly and unexpectedly…and no one knows why… and it could happen to anyone! This isn’t a regional, racial, sexual, or economic malady. It’s an equal opportunity shocker that affects not only the person afflicted, but everyone in their family and social circle!!
In order to help get the word out and misperceptions addressed a few of us FAS endurers are working together to gather facts about our individual cases, encourage scientific and medical study and research and then document and disseminate truthful, 1st-hand information. With that in mind, I wrote the following comment in response to the article I mentioned earlier:

I know that Foreign Accent Syndrome is real because I am living proof! This is really a pretty good introduction of what it is. However, I would disagree with the number of cases medically documented. You state 20 ever in the world and I know of 13 right now and I believe there are more. However it is commonly accepted that it is extremely rare and more like 60-100 cases ever since the original case was documented.
As a former pre-med student I am constantly amazed at the lack of understanding that we have of the human brain! Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made!
My own case started May 12,2009 after an exceptionally severe migraine and spreading facial numbness on one side. CT and MRI did not show a stroke yet something profound DID happen for although the facial numbness and headache were gone in days, I now speak like an eastern European, Swedish/French person speaking English depending on what words I am saying and interpretation of the listener.

Look around on my site (search fas) for lots of postings about living with this when not even many medical specialists have even
heard of it before.

MerryChristmas everyone! Http://ellen5e.com

Related Posts

• WHAT IT WAS VS. WHAT IT IS
• Sensitivity and Numbness.
• What can we do?

Kay Russell and Sarah Colwill

had a story about Foreign Accent Syndrome on it. This reminded this acquaintance of me and he told me about the broadcast as well as sent a “God Bless You”. I love that! He remembers that I have had it since May 12, 2009 after a major migraine makes my midwest farmer’s daughter accent turn into Dutch/Swedish/German “Eastern European” sounding speech. I just praise God I can still sing regularly.

I regularly monitor the topic Foreign Accent Syndrome on the internet and web trying to get latest scientific news. That’s how I found out about Sarah Colwill last Spring. I reached out to her on FaceBook and am happy to have another FAS friend.

So I went to NBC Today online and there I found this video article about my British friend Sarah Colwill and Kay Russell who both have Foreign Accent Syndrome. We have been Facebook talking since Sarah came down with it also as a result of migraine back in the spring of this year.

It turns out that Kay Russell lives only about an hour away from Sarah so they got to meet each other with all the excitement that I had in meeting Fisher Fran last year. To find someone else who suffers from the same rare malady helps a person feel less alone. Even if there isn’t a cure. There is just something blessed about being able to share in the depth of understanding that comes from such a thing.

I am grateful to the NBC Today show for doing the story to help bring more awareness to the fact that Foreign Accent Syndrome does exist and that it does so greatly impact peoples lives. Yet, even when science doesn’t have the answers to the “why” or “what do we do about it” questions, people can carry on with hope. That’s a message that everyone needs to hear!

Well, here is the embedded link to watch the story, enjoy. FAS Women Bond on Today Show

And if you would be kind enough to comment to NBC for doing the story or here, it would be an encouragement.

Related Posts

• WHAT IT WAS VS. WHAT IT IS
• Some Recent News FAS videos
• Foreign Accent: Say What?!

Related Posts

• WHAT IT WAS VS. WHAT IT IS
• Six Months with Foreign Accent Syndrome and counting
• FAS Friends

What I am seeing now is another wave of people learning of Foreign Accent Syndrome for the first time. It has been over sixteen months since my adventures into the world of a foreign sounding person started. I had so hoped that my speech would have returned as quickly and magically as it had changed. But No! I’m still having to think very hard when I speak to correct such things as “what you are looking for?” when I ask my husband what he is searching for. I make myself “fix” things, because I don’t won’t to have them get worse.

The word “people” still wants to come out “Pee-pools” and lately I’ve had a very difficult time saying “wolf”. The long “A” sound is always a tough one especially at the beginning of a word.  The word “yes-ter-day” was one of the very first words to give me repeated trouble in pronunciation as it sounds like I am slamming a stop in between each syllable…but I don’t seem to be able to smooth it out. Grr!  Then there’s probably one of the kid’s favorites… “Dar”….. as in “their dog” or “it’s over there” … only it comes out dahr.

Sorry for the side note of frustration, but as I see the Autumn leaves preparing for winter and hard times ahead, I am also in dread. My husband has been out of work from a job he had for 16 years and our income and benefits are drastically changing because of it. That means that I am even more likely to have to continue suffering on my own without any help to try and make things better.

You see it’s not just accented speech. It’s all the effort that goes into trying to correct the sounds and place the words in the proper order and put the stress and rhythm in the right place on TOP of the scrutiny I receive for sounding so profoundly different.

Here is  a link to a current article making the internet buz with comment on FAS   http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/20/when-brain-damage-makes-you-sound-foreign/?hpt=T2

As I see these people commenting on articles that they’ve just seen about Foreign Accent Syndrome, some people are genuinely shocked or intrigued. However, there are so very many who comment cruelly on the misfortune of others, saying it’s fake or a ploy for attention, or they wish they could sound a certain way like that. Oh my!

I want so very much to connect with other scientists, sufferers, speech pathologists, but I am out of resources. I am relying on my writing, the internets reach, networking and the power of prayer to try to get something positive done before a long, cold, depressing winter sets in.

I invite you to look around on this website for other articles with the tag “fas”. In particular I posted one called “WHAT IT WAS VS. WHAT IT IS“.  Many of these posts have links In which you will hear for yourself what a profound change took place in my voice within two days time.

So the question remains; what can we do? I am one who would gladly subject myself to testing for the benefit of scientific understanding, but have no insurance, research or other monies to do so… even if a doctor or university jumped on the chance to study the phenomena. Being a formerly pre-medical and now freelance graphic artist communicator, I am a trained observer so I have tons of useful data, but what authority will gather and effectively use it for the greatest benefit?  What CAN we do?

Related Posts

• WIBC Interview 090728
• Interview No. 8
• FAS Friends

If you have been following me for any amount of time, you know how frustrated I am by the limited amount of information about Foreign Accent Syndrome. I had a bit of a breakthrough last week as friends and Tweets pointed me to a newer case that has been widely publicized regarding a lady in the UK suddenly speaking with a Chinese accented voice after suffering a migraine.

The BBC did a story, CNN and other news articles suddenly popped up all over the place. I really believe I know how she feels as she is tired of the novelty of the fact that she sounds different. I know what she means when she says that she want her “real” or “old” voice back. As a result, I sought to contact Sarah and have since connected. I look forward to speaking with her by phone sometime soon, but in the meantime we are in touch across the ocean and time zones via internet.

Then, there was a television program that aired on the Science Channel, but which we don’t have that broadcasting channel. The title of the episode is called “Secret Life of the Brain: Losing Myself.” (If you discover a link or another broadcasting please let me know in the comments).  Though I have not seen it, apparently, it touched on Foreign Accent Syndrome and raised a lot of interest from people who had never heard of it before. Twitter was alive with people who couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

Through those Tweets I discovered some new contacts, one of which is a French speaking writer of medical papers who writes “The Brain From Top to Bottom” (here is a link).  Those writings helped me learn even more about the brain and how it functions or dysfunctions.

With this sudden influx of interest maybe there will be some advances in the study and dissemination of scientific research. We can share in the hope of knowing that people are taking the matter seriously. We can share our struggles and insights to encourage one another. That would be an answer to the prayers of the few who are having to endure living with such a rare disorder that so profoundly affects their identity, that is  not easily explained and to which there is no accepted treatment or cure.

Since we have used the internet to shrink the world, maybe now it is time to use that same mode to make awareness larger in the world.

Related Posts

• What can we do?
• WIBC Interview 090728
• FAS Friends

I was enjoying a lovely time out at a local establishment to listen to one of the bands my husband plays bass in; The Usual Suspects. I really do enjoy going to hear them play, not as much as when we play/sing in the same band together, but still a lot of fun. Music is still one of my all time favorite escapes.

I think that may be why it was such a jolt to the night when the normal “where are you from” became more in depth than usual. It turns out that one of the visitor’s for another band member is a doctor from New York and he flat out couldn’t believe me. So I had to go into verification mode at a time that I would have rather been enjoying the music, singing along and joking around with the other people. Don’t get me wrong; I think that it is neat that a young doctor is skeptical, but the timing of this particular encounter was unfortunate.

Because I know how very rare this disorder is, I feel an added responsibility to communicate the information about Foreign Accent Syndrome. However, because I am not a specialist, a doctor or someone who works in the medical field, my words are often held up to greater scrutiny and skepticism by those who do have such professions.

As a result, at a time when I would be relaxing and just enjoying, I now had to go into “work” mode. It is real work to try to describe something that has happened which is so rare. I’d offer proof, he’d counter with another question, and on it went. After several minutes of this, I told him that he should go ahead and look it up on the internet, but not to be surprised when he doesn’t find much information. I am one of 39 medically documented cases in the world . . . ever.

I was relieved to see that he had an internet capable phone so he could continue his query there. Which he did.  So I was able to enjoy the last two songs of the first set.  I was further relieved when my husband joined us at the table and further questions about its authenticity were confirmed for the young doctor. I have nothing against the young man, it simply was a timing issue and the fact that it made me “go there” at a time when I just wanted down time.

It is sad to believe that I can never really escape from this new voice’s impact on my everyday life. It is sadder still that some professional people will question my integrity when faced with something that they don’t know. I think that’s really what bothered me. I am telling the truth here. How can you stand there and call me a liar?  Yes, it IS interesting? But what can we DO about it? What can we learn? How about being helpful instead of being skeptical?

Although I wrote those thoughts from a carnal viewpoint, I do see something to be learned here. First, I can be sensitive to the fact that there are some people who cannot help but be skeptical about things they have no former experience with. Second, I am more sensitive to their insensitivity. I need to realize that it is not his intention to treat me as if I am a liar, although it feels that way to me. This is more mental “work” for me on top of the corrections to my speech as I communicate using this foreign voice.

So the take-away from this little life experience is this: although I thought he was thinking less of my integrity, he really simply couldn’t believe the fascinating medical manifestations. It was not that he wasn’t believing me. I took it too personally. It was simply “unbelievable”!

I thank God that he has given me the wisdom to keep such upsets inside myself so that I didn’t get snippy or impolite. Also, the humor mode that allowed me to take an uncomfortable topic and make light of it at my own expense allows me to lighten up. That gets me through the moment. Then, later,  I can really analyze what transpired so I can prepare for the next time such a thing happens.

Live and learn.

Related Posts

• FAS Friends
• Video Greeting from Eastside Ellen
• What can we do?

Next, let me say, that the video below is NOT staged. In fact it is extremely impromptu as evidenced by our lack of fine attire and makeup. Nonetheless, I think it is important to show this video to people in order to bring to light an extremely rare medical condition.

Fran found me via a local radio station who had interviewed me from time to time. “Fisher Fran” as we affectionately refer to her has  episodes of a few days with it. Her case, waxes and wanes with a good deal of normalness in between. She has other body weaknesses that resemble multiple sclerosis whereas I do not.

My foreign accent has continued for over six months now without relenting. Although, I have noticed improvement in some words as I apply tricks that I have developed through speech therapy. Another difference in our two cases is that I am able to sing in my “normal” voice, whereas, Fran cannot sing at all when she becomes accented (even though, she to sings for audiences).

Here is a video taken of me (Eastside Ellen) and Fisher Fran back in June 2009. At that point I had been speaking with foreign accented speech for a month and Fran was in day two of an exasperation of her symptoms.

This video was captured by Fran’s daughter and so is not exactly framed as well as a more experienced photographer would have done. PLUS… she and I were both in our grubbier clothes as we rushed to meet with one another without the benefit of clothing changes or make-up. We were just so happy to discover that we were not the only one with this problem that we couldn’t wait another moment. As you see in this video we are quite happy to have found one another and are enjoying our ability to joke about our situation in a unique way.

However, let me stress this. Foreign Accent Syndrome is NOT a joking matter. Rather it is an extremely rare medical malady involving the Broches’(speech) area of the brain. It is reported that only 39 medically documented cases have been reported…ever…in the whole world.  Because it is so rare, there are not many doctors who even know about it. Therein lies the problem. If they are unsure what causes it, how to fix it and it is so rare. There is not much help for a person who has it.

In fact that is the main purpose of me documenting as much as I can about it. Researchers could learn a lot about this if they applied themselves. Because it is such a rare occurrence the argument may be made that there is not much point in researching it from a cost benefit analysis standpoint. However, since it involves the study of the brain and speech/accent production, I think that this is a pioneering area that some university or speech pathology school would want to investigate more.

As one who has now endured it for six months, I am learning that I am teaching my speech pathologist at the same time she is teaching me. This is unchartered territory here. So it is going to take the willingness of all involved to recognize that we do not have all the answers. In fact, we must admit that we have far more questions than answers. Yet, since I am the one living with Foreign Accent Syndrome,  I am a self-made researcher trying to document for the benefit of medical knowledge and hopefully to bring a sense of understanding to both the sufferers and their loved ones.

I am going to try to get another video with Fran and me together within the next few days. This time I WILL at least look better for the camera : P

Related Posts

• FAS Friends
• Video Greeting from Eastside Ellen
• WHAT IT WAS VS. WHAT IT IS