A healthy man woke up 'in the body of a newborn' after an infection in his brain completely wiped out his memory, leaving him needing to learn how to walk and talk all over again. Four years on, he's slowly getting his life back on track:
Wesley Prosser, 26, was diagnosed with auto-immune condition encephalitis, a potentially fatal illness that causes the brain to swell.
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The car salesman, from California, USA, realised he had forgotten how to walk and talk, and had no memory of the previous six months prior to his diagnosis.
He said: "I was literally a newborn again. When I woke up I couldn't walk, couldn't talk.
"It was scary and I was panicking. I felt like my world was ending and I didn't feel like there was any hope.
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"I thought I would never walk again and it's taken me four years to learn.
"I used to be so adventurous, I loved hiking and mountain biking so I really want to get back to that."
He thought he had come down with a cold in 2017, but was rushed to hospital when he became delirious.
Wesley remembers waking up, but had no recollection of the six months previously, and also couldn't walk or talk.
He even struggled to recognise some of his friends and family.
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He said: "I just thought I had a cold and I went to the hospital but they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me so I was sent home.
"I was just getting worse. My brain was deteriorating and everything became a blur.
"I woke up in the hospital and I was literally a newborn again.
"I was confused. It had been six months since I'd become ill and I have no recollection of those six months before.
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"There were some people I didn't recognise.
"My teeth were dead basically because I hadn't been brushing them for months while I was in such a blur.
"I had to restart my life at 22."
He then had to take four years off work, while he learned how to walk, talk, write and eat again.
Sadly, he says most of his friends disappeared from his life.
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But, after four years of therapy, Wesley is finally making progress and is able to walk unaided.
Last year, Wesley got engaged to fiancé, Griselda, 26, and the pair plan to marry next month.
He said: "I can't wait to get married. Things are finally looking up.
"A lot of people who I thought cared about me left so now I have a smaller group of friends but they're people who actually care about me.
"I can walk a bit now but not perfectly because four years on and I'm still trying to regain strength.
"I'm still progressing with lots of therapy and lots of squats and I'm really happy with how far I've come."
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