Imagine the horror of waking up after an accident to discover that you’re secretly French. That’s the nightmare that a Tasmanian woman has lived for eight years now.
OK, OK, not really. Leanne Rowe was in a car accident where a portion of her brain that controls speech was damaged. The injury and healing created a speech impediment that replaced her Australian accent with what sounds like a French accent, but is just a type of slurring. (This may also explain French accents in French people.)
Her condition is called Foreign Accent Syndrome, which is rare and has affected 62 patients in the past 70 years. In all the cases, not a single one has turned out to be a Bourne Identitied secret agent. But, doctors still advise them to never take a virtual vacation from Rekall. You know, just in case.