English Patient Who Suffered from Stroke Recovered with a Welsh Accent

An English woman who suffered from stroke recovered but noticed that her voice changed, thus, having a Welsh accent, according to Daily Mail.

Deborah Ballard, 53 had her first stroke in February and suffered from a second, mini-stroke last Sunday while she was at work at her job as a senior care assistant. Immediately after recovering from the condition, she noticed that her voice changed - a condition called the foreign accent syndrome. "It wasn't until I called the animals in that I realized my voice has changed", Ballard said. Ballard's son thought that his mother was faking a Welsch accent but soon realized that the condition was legitimate. Deborah expressed her feelings of shame but her family and friends were supportive of her.

"I texted my husband and told him not to be surprised when he came home as I had a bit of an accent. I got a bit embarrassed about it at first but everybody who has heard me said they think it's sweet. I spoke to the doctor about it and he said as long as I'm not in pain everything should be alright," she added.

Just last year, an 81-year old Englishman who also suffered from stroke woke up and discovered that he could speak Welsh. Alun Morgan grew up speaking English and only spent a few months in Welsh as an evacuee during the World War II. After he stroke, he lost his ability to communicate in English and other languages and was only able to communicate in Welsh, according to Independent. "Aphasia is one of the language issues which can arise after a stroke. Sufferers can also begin speaking their own language in a different accent", said Joe Korner of the Stroke Association.