IMAGINE waking up and not knowing who you are, what you do or how to do something as basic as feed yourself.
Well, that was the nightmare one successful computer analyst found herself living, after her memory was wiped by a rare brain infection.
Clair Bennett, from Swanley, Kent, had finally moved into her own pad in 2015 when she was struck down by encephalitis.
Now 29, she’d been complaining of “violent headaches” and feeling increasingly feverish before falling seriously ill with a dangerous inflammation of the brain.
After only a few minutes, she couldn’t remember anything.
She’s had to relearn every single thing about her life and how to live, and uses a planner which lets any and every small task Clair has to complete on any given day.
Her dad and full-time carer Mark, 60, is speaking out about his daughter’s ordeal ahead of World Encephalitis Day, tomorrow.
“Clair is so positive and always smiling, but she couldn’t dwell on the negatives even if she wanted to, as she forgets them,” he said.
“As a family, we do all consider ourselves lucky when you see how encephalitis impacts some people, but her short term memory has been hugely affected. Now, she forgets things within a few minutes.”
He explained that if you now tell Clair a number and ask her to repeat it ten minutes later, she’ll have “no recollection of ever being told it”.
In fact, she can’t even remember the six months leading up to her illness – despite jetting off to Oz for a solo trip right before she fell ill.
In January 2015, she began to get headaches and fevers, which a doctor told her was probably just down to a flu-like bug.
But by January 12, her condition had deteriorated dramatically.
Mark recalled: “Clair’s work had phoned her flatmate to say she hadn’t come in, asking if she was okay.
“When she went to check on her, Clair was really disorientated, asking if she was in America.
“She phoned me to let me know what was going on, but I wasn’t sure why any of this was happening, or what to think of it, which I feel guilty about now.”
Clair was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich and when Mark arrived, medics told him that she’d contracted encephalitis.
According to The Encephalitis Society, 500,000 children and adults worldwide are affected by the infection every year – yet, stats by YouGov suggest 78 per cent of the public don’t even know what it is.
The next morning, Mark and wife Penny returned to their daughter’s bedside to find that Clair was still very disorientated.
What is encephalitis?
Encephalitis is a serious condition which causes the sufferer’s brain to swell.
It can be life-threatening and requires urgent treatment in hospital.
It’s not always clear what causes the condition but it can be a result of viral infections, an immune system issue or bacterial/fungal infections.
Anyone can be affected by the disease but the very young and elderly are most at risk.
A number of medications and injections are capable of calming encephalitis symptoms.
Some people are able to make a full recovery, but others will be affected by persistent symptoms, as a result of damage to the brain, for the rest of their lives.
Symptoms tend to start off flu-like – including a high temperature and headache – but this isn’t always the case.
More serious symptoms develop over hours, days or weeks, including:
- Confusion or disorientation
- Seizures
- Changes in personality and behaviour
- Difficulty speaking
- Weakness or loss of movement in some parts of the body
- Loss of consciousness
If someone has any of these more serious symptoms, dial 999 immediately.
For more info, visit the Encephalitis Society
“She kept asking if we had missed Christmas and then, when I asked if she knew who we were, she said no.
“As a dad, that still makes me emotional – for your own daughter not to recognise you.”
After a two week stint in hospital, Clair was discharged, although it was obvious that her memory had been seriously affected.
She could recall things that had happened in the past but had next to no short-term memory.
Mark explained: “Thankfully, she’d got back who we were and could remember things like where she grew up and who her old friends were.
“But she couldn’t hold on to short-term memories. Friends would come round and visit, and she’d soon forget she’d even seen them.”
Just three days after being discharged, Clair was struck by encephalitis a second time.
Mark added: “She came downstairs one morning and seemed really wobbly, as if she could fall over at any second.
“The only thing I could think to do was what I’d seen on TV, where police test drunk drivers, getting them to count back from 20. She tried, but couldn’t do it.”
This time, she was kept in hospital for over two months and her short term memory was even worse.
On one family holiday that year, Clair asked 48 times in a 90-minute journey if her dad had her passport.
Following several ECG scans, doctors have now tragically confirmed that Clair is unlikely to see any vast improvement.
Determined not to give up, however, Clair is learning to cope by keeping a daily diary where she records everything she’s done that day, as well as reminders to do things like wash and eat.
Mark said: “She needs to be able to physically tick things off to remind her she’s done them, or she’ll have no idea.
“For example, she still loves cooking, but she has to follow recipes with a tick list, otherwise she’ll forget she has already finished a step, and start peeling a load of potatoes or prepping veg again. She can very easily get disorientated in new places, too.”
These days, routine is vital to Clair, as the only thing she finds helps her cling on to short-term memories is repetition.
Every Monday, she goes to the gym, Tuesdays are spent with her grandparents, Wednesdays involve more exercise, followed by art of piano lessons. Thursdays she volunteers in a charity shop and Fridays are spent with the brain injury charity, Headway.
Despite having learnt to play before her accident, Clair often surprises herself at what a talented musician she is.
Mark said: “She’d been learning before the illness but doesn’t remember. Her teacher was actually Tokio Myers, who went on to win Britain’s Got Talent.”
Clair and Mark want to raise awareness of encephalitis and the life-changing impact the illness can have.
Ever positive, Clair said: “I am thankful I don’t remember any of being ill. I have my old memories back, but struggle with anything since.”
MORE ON HEALTH
“Even if my short-term memory does come back, I will still keep my diary though. I wouldn’t be without it.
“I can look back on any given day of my life for the past four years, and know exactly what I did – even if I can’t remember it.
“I always look for the positives, and even though I can’t make new memories, I know I’m still getting a lot out of life now.”
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News Photo My memory was completely wiped MINUTES after I was struck by a rare brain infection
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