Posted on 02/12/2018 2:11:47 PM PST by nickcarraway
Imagine going to sleep and waking up sounding British. It's a real thing, and it happened to a Valley woman who has never even left the country.
"Everybody only sees or hears Mary Poppins," said Michelle Myers, a mom of seven who lives in Buckeye.
Myers is a former Texas beauty queen who has never even left the United States.
Three times in the past seven years, Myers has gone to sleep with blinding headaches only to wake up with a different accent.
The first time it was Irish. The second time was Australian. Both incidents lasted about a week. But two years ago she went down with a crippling headache and woke up with the British accent she's had ever since.
"They send in the psychiatrist at the hospital and make sure you're not a loon," said Myers.
According to experts, she's not crazy and not faking it. She's been diagnosed with Foreign Accent Syndrome. It's an extremely rare condition that usually accompanies a stroke, neurological damage or other underlying medical issues.
"When I was a little girl I used to always go to my mom and say, 'my bones hurt," said Myers.
She has been to the hospital more times than she can count and the stack of medical records she keeps in the house says she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it's a disease that causes easy bruising, rupturing blood vessels and painful joints that are overly elastic to the point of easily dislocating. Best her doctors can tell, it also turned her British.
Looking back at how she used to be is difficult, Myers says. She misses the way she used to say her kids' names.
"I'm sad," she said, watching an old video of her speaking normally. "I feel like a different person. The person I am now has been through so much compared to this person."
But her outlook is positive.
She's loves spending time with her seven kids, listening to them sing and play instruments. She also likes painting, writing, and motivating people.
And above all, she wants people to take her seriously.
"Some people think it’s physiological; others think it’s psychological. People like me - we don’t care which one it is. We just really want to be taken seriously and if it is something that’s going to hurt me, help me."
Excellent
Thanks. He just retired after 15 years with Walmart, and he started when he was 65.
.
That’s a pretty wet border!
.
If she woke up with an Australian accent she could make a lot of money on commercials. So damn many commercials with female Australian accents like that gives it credibility or something.
I spent three weeks in Midland Tezas with my cousins. I was 13 or 14. Came back with a thick mid-Texas accent,
Laughing out loud here...did you escape unharmed?
I had an Irish Setter.
One day he woke up with a English Bulldog accent.
We had to bring him to the pound.
What’s odd about this is that the American accent was once the British accent. We kept the original accent...theirs changed.
I was thinking Madonna.
Very very funny, Miss Marmelstein
I’ve read about this illness, you get it from a tick. They call it Limey Disease.
At least she hasn’t turned into a Scotsman.
Today, I woke up and had an American accent.
Bet if someone grabbed her on the arse, she would lose that accent pretty darn quick.
After living in Texas for just a few years, I was actually mistaken for a native of Beaumont. I’m originally from New Jersey.
Thanks nickcarraway.
Foreign Accent Syndrome as a result of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, thanks, that clears things right up.
I worked for a neuropathologist for some time,a full professor at Harvard Medical School.A *very* smart man.
My exposure to his work gave me at least *some* insight into how complex...and how amazing...the human brain is.
I'd be willing to bet you're wrong in your opinion.
Well that’s not unusual.
You are correct brain damage can cause accents. Seen it.
However have also seen accents in the severely mentally ill, and that is a sort of brain damage too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.