JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- October 8th, 2007. It's a day that changed Paula Westberry's life forever. Before that date, she was a PHD educated nurse working in central Florida. After October 8th, Paula was sounding, "nuttier than a fruitcake."
That's because Paula suffers from Foreign Accent Syndrome, a rare condition that effects speech. This is not to say she actually speaks a Foreign language. Rather, she speaks English with a foreign accent.
For Paula, it means waking up each day as a new person. One day she's speaking with a Russian accent and the next, she's speaking with a French accent.
The reason behind this is not totally certain. University of Central Florida professor and researcher Dr. Jack Ryalls thinks he has the answer.
While Paula appeared to be having a stroke on October 8th, 2007, MRI's and CAT scans all came back negative. Paula was frustrated, but knew she wasn't crazy. That's when she searched out Dr. Ryalls. Ryalls was just the person to talk to. He had been studying Foreign Accent Syndrome for years and believed Paula had suffered a series of mini strokes. While undetected on a routine scan, Dr. Ryalls had seen enough to know that part of her brain that controlled speech had to be damaged.
Chuck Westberry, Paula's husband, says living with someone who has FAS can be a challenge, but you deal with it and keep going through life.
That's exactly what Paula is doing as she continues to work with Dr. Ryalls. He does believe, one day, she will regain her speech. In the meantime, she's reaching out to the on-line community to find others like her. With only 60 confirmed cases in the world, it can be a challenge, but at least she knows she's not alone.
Email Paula about FAS -
pwestberry@gmail.com
