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Man Loses All Of His Childhood Memories Because Of A Rare Condition

Man Loses All Of His Childhood Memories Because Of A Rare Condition

Antony Holly passed out on his way home from work. He then got a rare condition that caused his brain to swell and wiped his memory

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

We've all got precious memories from our childhood that we remember fondly with a smile every now and again. Imagine if you lost all of that on the spot and could never get them back.

That's exactly what happened to Antony Holly when a rare condition caused his brain to swell and his memories to be wiped.

The 22 year old can't remember anything before the age of 16 and had to be reminded of even the most basic things like how to have a shower, and the identities of his mum and sisters.

It all started when he was commuting back from his job at John Lewis when he took ill on the train and fainted.

He thought it was heat stroke, but once he was taken to hospital he was revealed to have a severe sinus infection, meningitis and sepsis. He had to have a load of pretty invasive things done to him to find out what was causing the infections.

Triangle News

Then things got really bad. The infections moved to his brain and caused him to contract encephalitis - which wiped his memories.

Despite not being able to remember things like family holidays, or childhood friends to this day, he is still remarkably upbeat about the whole thing.

He said: "For me it has been hard not being able to remember things. People treat you differently,' Anthony said.

"You take your memories for granted. Now I don't have any, it's about taking life and living it. Have fun and don't moan and groan about things."

His family have been a big help to him during the tough journey back to health in which Antony has had to relearn everything he learnt as a child from scratch.

He continued: "My mum has been such a star. She essentially had to rehabilitate me.

Triangle News

"It was such a worry for her, me not knowing who she was. In hospital I had to learn to wash myself, wash my hair. I couldn't dress.

"My day to day routine was completely wiped, it was just gone. What you normally do in life, the basics in life, they're just gone.

"Going to the toilet is a simple thing you learn as a kid, but I didn't know how. My mum had to show me."

Although he hasn't got his memories back he has managed to return to work successfully and has been in a relationship since just after his illness.

He now wants to raise awareness of his illness ahead of World Encephalitis Day which takes place on Thursday 22 February.

Featured Image Credit: Triangle News

Topics: UK News, News