At 16, Carol injured herself during one of her cheerleading practices. Everyone thought she was fine, but they were wrong. She started to lose her memories, and the doctors revealed something they couldn’t believe. But another tragedy happened in the family, and Carol changed once again.
“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Webber. But there’s a chance that your daughter might not remember anything beyond today,” Dr. Wilson revealed the shocking diagnosis of their daughter.
Two weeks ago, Carol fell during her cheerleading practice. She stood up and walked it off, thinking nothing of it. But that night, her parents noticed how she flinched whenever they spoke and didn’t process their words quickly. She started to withdraw into herself and didn’t want to speak to her parents for the rest of the day.
The next day, she barely acknowledged her parents and spent most of her time in her room. But when her mother came in to ask how she was feeling, the teenager asked, “Why?” Her mother gently reminded her of the accident, and Carol had no idea what she was talking about.
Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Webber, didn’t know what to think and decided to take her to the hospital. The doctors ordered several neurological tests as well as a psych evaluation.
After two weeks of exams, Dr. Wilson finally had a diagnosis, but it was hard to believe. Carol was in the room with them, and she couldn’t believe it. “I don’t understand. It was just a small fall. I remember getting up today and continuing to practice,” the teenager said.
“Carol, you were injured two weeks ago, not today. We’re pretty sure you’re suffering from anterograde amnesia, and it looks like when you wake up in the morning, you’ll think it’s the same day you got your injury,” the doctor explained carefully.
The teenager held her hand to her mouth and tried not to cry. “This can’t be happening,” she whispered, containing her emotions.
“But Dr. Wilson, there must be some medications or a surgery we can try to fix this, right?” Mrs. Webber wondered.
The doctor pursed his lips and shook his head. “Unfortunately, Mrs. Webber, the brain is still such a mystery to all of us. There’s nothing we can do for now but wait. Right now, my only suggestion is for Carol to come to therapy twice a week, but she needs to keep a diary of everything that happens each day. And of course, no more cheerleading or contact sports whatsoever.”
The Webbers looked at each other in worry, and Carol couldn’t contain her tears any longer. They got home that day and wrote as much as possible about the diagnosis in a notebook. Luckily, she remembered everything that had happened before her accident.
Carol had to stop going to school because, in her condition, it would be too tricky. But shel was fortunate. She had the support of her parents and her big brother, Christopher.
“Don’t worry, sis. You’ll start remembering things soon enough,” he told her later that evening while they both lay down on her bed.
“What if I forget you when you go to college?” Carol asked quietly.
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen,” Christopher assured her, pulling her slowly and kissing her head.
The following day, he announced that he was going to a local state school in Indianapolis so he could continue to live at home and watch out for his sister. He had a motorcycle and could make the commute easily. It was a big sacrifice, and his parents asked him if he was sure.
“Of course, I am. She’s my sister,” he insisted, and that was that.
***
Several years went by, and Christopher believed Carol was getting better. She had many notebooks filled with her days, but there was one, in particular, she had to read every day to remember what happened. She also kept calendars in her room, and an app on her phone reminded her of things that maybe her parents didn’t know.
Her brother was there to remind her she was not alone, and one day, Carol seemed to remember something from the earlier day. “You told me yesterday that we were going to the movies, right?” she asked during breakfast, after finishing the book that reminded her of her diagnosis.
“Yeah,” Christopher said with shock in his voice. “Did you write that down on your app?”
“No, I remember you in my room, and you said we were going out tonight,” Carol replied and smiled as her parents and Christopher stared at her in surprise. Mrs. Webber jumped and rushed to her daughter for a big hug.
“You are getting better!” she cheered, and her eyes watered in happiness. The men couldn’t contain their grins, and the mood was lighter than ever.
“Anyway, yeah. We’re going to see the new horror movie. But I have to go to school for a few classes. I’ll return by six probably,” Christopher said. He finished his breakfast, hugged his sister, and waved goodbye.
They never went to the movies. Christopher died that evening when a truck swerved to his lane, and he lost control of the motorcycle.
“No! No! Christopher was right here this morning! It can’t be true! It can’t be true!” Carol yelled at her mother, who was trying to hold her steady. It had been three days since Christopher’s accident, and today was the funeral. This happened every morning when they told Carol about her brother’s accident.
She was inconsolable and would spend those days in bed. But today, they needed her to understand things quickly and get ready for the funeral. Her parents felt helpless because they were mourning, but they still needed to attend to their daughter.
After a few hours, Carol calmed down and got dressed. At the funeral, she approached the coffin and said goodbye to Christopher. “I will never forget this day, Christopher. I will get better. I will remember every day we spent together and how much you helped me. Goodbye, my bro.”
***
“Mom, when will Christopher’s tombstone be ready? Did you use the quote he liked?” Carol asked, opening the fridge and staring inside, wondering what to eat. It was the morning after Chris’s funeral, and Mrs. Webber was sitting at the kitchen table with some cereal.
But she pulled her head up. “What did you say?” she asked her daughter in shock.
“Christopher’s tombstone. When will it be ready? The funeral attendant said it was back-ordered, right?” Carol asked, grabbing some sandwich bread and the fixings.
“Did you write that in your diary?” Mrs. Webber wondered, trying not to get her hopes up.
“What? No, I just… wait… what?” Carol said, her eyes widening as she looked at her mother. They both left the kitchen, rushing to Carol’s room and checking her diaries. As they suspected, she had not written about the tombstones anywhere they could locate, not even on her phone.
“Does that mean I remembered it on my own?” Carol questioned, not understanding.
“I have no idea, honey. Let’s call Dr. Wilson!”
They arranged a meeting with the doctor, and he said it’s possible that the stress and pain of Christopher’s passing did something to Carol’s brain. “But I want to monitor it slowly if you allow us. It could potentially help other patients in the future, and we might understand if Carol is getting better,” he requested.
“Of course!” Carol said enthusiastically. She wanted to get well. She wanted to remember. If not for herself, she wanted to become better and live her life like her brother always wanted. And she didn’t want to forget.
The progress was slow, but Carol remembered something small every day until her amnesia seemingly disappeared. She was finally able to pick up her studies and get her GED. She went to the same state school as Christopher and graduated with honors. Afterward, she opened a foundation to help people with similar disorders and raise funds for further research.
She still didn’t remember the years between her accident and Christopher’s passing, but she had detailed diaries of those times. Carol also recounted her journey on a TikTok account that went viral. She talked about everything, including Christopher, who would never be forgotten.
What can we learn from this story?
You can do anything when you have a support system. Carol didn’t have to worry too much because there were many people supporting her recovery.
Never forget those who help you. Carol promised to never forget about her brother, especially when he sacrificed after her diagnosis.
