A woman who went to sleep with a migraine woke up sounding like she had spent her entire life in Newcastle.
Verity Went, 29, was born and raised in Staffordshire and had a local accent until October 4, 2023, when she awoke from a nap with a thick Geordie twang.
She was later diagnosed with foreign accent syndrome, a rare condition linked to functional neurological disorder (FND), which affects how the brain sends and receives signals.
Verity said she initially feared she had suffered a stroke and was left feeling as though she had “completely lost” herself.
She said: “After a couple of hours I woke up and my speech was slurred, which I’m occasionally used to, but after five minutes it came back – and was Geordie.
“I was terrified. I went to the doctor straight away, and since they already knew about my FND, they kind of knew it was something to do with that rather than a stroke.
“The doctor was so shocked, and when I asked what to do, she said she’d heard about it before but never seen it, and to go to the hospital. Even though I like it now and I’m used to it, at first I was so upset as I just felt I had completely lost myself and didn’t know who I was anymore.”
Three years on, the barber and content creator has completely embraced her unexpected accent, which has even made its way into her dreams and inner monologue.
“I feel like this is my voice now,” she's quoted by the Mirror as saying.
“I’m so used to it, and if it changed back to my original voice, it would be just as hard to adapt back. I was told [by doctors] that foreign accent syndrome is normally long-term, if not permanent, and I’m hoping it doesn’t change again.
“The mental strain is so hard, and I wouldn’t want to go through it again. I believe it’s permanent because of the fact it’s changed [to the new accent] in my inner monologue as well, and in my dreams it has changed.
“I’ve accepted what has happened and it has made me the person I am today – more open, understanding and appreciative of changes to life, instead of being scared of change.”
Verity said her friends and family are now so accustomed to the accent that some believe it suits her better than her original voice.
She added: “Now that some time has passed, I love my voice. It’s become who I am.”
And rather than fearing what comes next, she is now taking the bizarre experience in her stride.
She said: “It’s just shown me anything can happen, and time keeps going, so I have to keep going too, no matter what life throws at me. I’m excited for what the future holds – and God knows what will happen next!”