Basingstoke, United Kingdom – A 29-year-old British woman woke from a coma after a stroke suffered on holiday in Turkey and found her voice had changed: she now spoke with the Thai accent of her mother, doctors said.
Holiday collapse in Fethiye
Cathy Warren, who is half-Thai and half-British, had been celebrating her 28th birthday with friends in the resort town of Fethiye in September 2024 when the incident occurred. She said she felt dizzy on the way to dinner and suddenly lost control of her legs.
“We had just taken photos when I suddenly couldn’t walk. My legs wouldn’t move,” Warren recalled. Her friends laid her on a sun lounger and sought help, but hotel staff initially assumed she was intoxicated and returned her to her room.
Emergency care and misdiagnosis
Her condition worsened and an attending doctor was finally called. Scans revealed she had suffered a stroke. Warren was admitted to a Turkish hospital and placed in a coma. When she regained consciousness, her left side was paralysed and her voice had markedly changed.
“I used to have a British voice, but I woke up and my accent was different,” she said. “My mother is from Thailand, and now I sound like her — Thai, unfamiliar.” The change left Warren feeling as if she had lost part of her identity.
Doctors identify rare syndrome
Neurologists diagnosed Warren with Foreign Accent Syndrome, a very rare neurological condition caused by damage to areas of the brain involved in speech. The disorder is characterised by changes in rhythm, intonation and pronunciation that can make a person’s speech sound as if they have a foreign accent.
Dr Greg David Dayrit, a neurologist involved in Warren’s care, explained that the syndrome alters speech patterns rather than producing deliberate imitation. “The condition is marked by changes in speech rhythm, intonation and articulation,” he said.
Medical literature describes only a few dozen confirmed cases worldwide, and outcomes can be unpredictable. Warren underwent months of speech therapy but found that her voice did not return to its previous sound.
“I finished the speech therapy, but my voice stayed the same. The doctors do not promise it will come back — it is really rare,” she said.
Rehabilitation and gradual recovery
Warren spent a month in a Turkish hospital before returning to the United Kingdom in October 2024. She then completed five months of treatment and rehabilitation in Britain. Initially she required significant assistance to walk, using a tripod support and later a crutch.
“At first I needed three people to help me walk. Now I can walk alone, but my voice still does not sound like me,” she said. By the summer of 2025 she had regained independent mobility.
Adjusting to a changed voice
Foreign Accent Syndrome affects very few people and presents unique social and psychological challenges. For Warren, the altered voice has meant learning to accept a new aspect of herself and coping with reactions from others who notice the change.
Her case highlights how vulnerable the brain can be and how unpredictable the consequences of a stroke may become. Despite the difficulty, Warren said she is trying to embrace her changed voice as part of her story and continue rebuilding her life after the sudden collapse abroad.
The episode also raised questions about the initial response she received while on holiday, with her early symptoms mistaken for intoxication — a delay that may have prolonged the time to proper medical assessment.
Warren’s experience has drawn attention to the rare but profound effects neurological injuries can have on speech and identity, and it underscores the importance of rapid medical evaluation when sudden neurological symptoms occur.