Accident Devastated My Life But My Memory Returned

by Anonymous

When I first woke up from my accident (I'd rather not talk about how it happened), I felt dizzy. I couldn't recognize anyone in the room but my parents.

They said that I could only remember my life as a teenager. The other memories as an adult were completely gone.


Well, not exactly "gone", it was just that I couldn't remember. I wanted to have a normal life. But then I realized I could never have one after the accident.

I did everything the doctors said, took any pills they wanted me to, but none of it helped me retrieve my memories. I had a fiance at that time. He was supportive, even though I couldn't remember him.

But after a while, he couldn't put up with it anymore, because I couldn't remember anything at all. There was literally no hope.

Eventually he left me, but we were still talking as "friends". After two years, while on some business I happened to travel to the country where my accident happened, I was finally be able to remember everything!

I remembered Alex, my fiance, I remembered how much he meant to me and what we had been through. But it was too late. He is now married to another woman with two adorable children.

I don't know whether to be sad or happy that we still talk, but he only sees me as an old friend now. I've lost everything, but at least I've got my memories back.

I was thought to be a hopeless case, but the truth was I never lost hope. Now my life is back to normal. I'm seeing a guy but nothing serious yet.

And I want everyone out there to know that you're not alone and things will get better. I was a mess, but now I'm fine. I'm still trying to live my best life.

But the KEY is NEVER TO LOSE HOPE.

Doug's Reply. How remarkable that your memories returned! What a blessing.

The accident was a tragedy. The fallout radically changed your life and relationships. Yet you have come through the other side and built a new life. What a strong person you must have become.

A couple points you made in your story are quite important, and anyone reading it would do well to pay close attention.

First, it is apparently true that for some people who have experienced memory loss, returning to the location where old memories were formed can sometimes jog their memory and help them remember. That all your memories returned when you visited the other country is nothing short of amazing.

Second, your message of hope is vital. In the memory problem stories on this site, that theme recurs over and over. In many cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI), brain surgery, dementia, and other causes of memory loss, doctors cannot predict with accuracy when or if memories will return.

That's why maintaining hope is so important. Hope means you believe in the possiblity that your brain will heal itself and the memories will return. The body and mind really do have amazing powers of healing. And you are proof positive that recovery does happen, even in so-called "hopeless" memory loss cases, as you were believed to be.

Thanks so much for sharing your story. There is much sadness in what happened, but you survived and are building a new life for yourself. I admire you for not giving up hope through the darkest times.

This is information only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.