I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be fluent in more than one language. What language would I think in, or talk to myself in? It’s almost impossible to find out, because becoming fluent in another language is hard. Unless, of course, you become comatose and wake up speaking a different language.
Sounds crazy, right? But that’s exactly what happened to teenager Reuben Nsemoh from Snellville, Georgia. Reuben is a seemingly average 16-year-old who loves playing soccer. He's the goalkeeper of his team, which can often be a dangerous position.
During a soccer match late last month, Reuben was kicked in the head by another player while diving for the ball. The concussion he received was severe. Reuben’s soccer coach, Bruno Kalonji, recalled that he thought the teen was going to die. He would repeatedly stop breathing, vomit, and then return to a comatose state. Reuben was airlifted to a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
Unfortunately, the blow to his head was severe enough that Reuben fell into a coma. After three days, he woke up with the remarkable ability to speak fluent Spanish.
No one knows exactly what caused this to happen. The miraculous recovery is especially intriguing because Reuben did not speak Spanish prior to his concussion. He had picked up a little from family and friends, but definitely not enough to be considered fluent.
This miracle had its fair share of downsides. When Reuben woke up, he spoke only Spanish. His prior knowledge of the English language had vanished. As he continues to heal, things are slowly returning to normal. His English language proficiency is returning and he is no longer fluent in Spanish.
The blow to his head has also had effects on his mental health. Reuben has difficulty focusing and now suffers from seizures. He is not healthy enough to attend school and can no longer play soccer. However, he hopes to return to the game sometime soon, because he dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. If Reuben does return to the turf, his coach says he will have to wear a helmet to help protect his head from further blows.
His short stay at an Atlanta hospital racked up over $200,000 in medical bills, which his family is struggling to pay off. A GoFundMe page was started to help the family pay his medical bills. They've set a goal to raise $25,000.
While this is definitely a shocking story, it’s not the first recorded instance. Doctors believe Reuben suffered from Foreign Accent Syndrome, although Reuben’s case doesn’t quite fit the description. Foreign Accent Syndrome can result from head trauma, such as a stroke, migraine or (in Reuben’s case) a severe concussion. When a person is afflicted with Foreign Accent Syndrome, they develop an accent unrelated to their own language. Professionals insist that it isn’t actually an accent, but rather a speech impediment that resembles one. It’s also extremely rare—in the last 100 years there have been less than 100 reported cases. Regardless, this does happen. Once I started doing some digging on the internet, I came across some mind-blowing stories.
A few months ago, Texas native Lisa Alamia woke up from jaw surgery with a British accent. Her doctor assured her it would go away, but over half a year has passed since the surgery and the accent remains. You can watch a video of her (and her adorable accent) here.
In 2010, Sarah Colwill was rushed to a hospital, suffering from a severe migraine. When she came to, she had developed a Chinese accent. (BBC later produced a documentary about Sarah Colwill. You can watch a clip of it here.) Several years have now passed and Sarah is still working to regain her original British accent.
In 2012, Australian man Ben McMahon woke up from a severe coma speaking fluent Mandarin. His story is perhaps the craziest of them all. After recovering from his coma and regaining use of the English language, he also retained his fluency in Mandarin, moved to Shanghai to continue his education, and became the host of a Mandarin TV game show. Watch a video on this insane story here.
All of these stories left me with my jaw hanging open. I had to force myself to stop clicking on related news articles, although I could have continued to read dozens of stories on similar events. The human mind is capable of things that I cannot even begin to imagine, and this phenomenon is just the tip of the iceberg.
