In October 2018, 56-year-old Kim Denicola had a headache that would change her life forever. What seemed like a simple pain in her head soon left her with blurry vision and dizziness, prompting her to be rushed to the hospital.
Kim, a grandmother from Louisiana, had been attending a Bible study in Baton Rouge when the sudden onset of symptoms occurred. But when she woke up in the emergency room, the situation took an unexpected twist.
Kim couldn’t remember anything. Not just the small details—but her whole life. She had no memory of her marriage or her two children. The last 30 years? Gone.
“I’ve lost a lot of Christmases,” she told WAFB. “It’s a big deal.”
She was shocked, as were those around her. Kim couldn’t even grasp the idea of a world that had changed so much since she remembered. She had no clue that computers existed or that several U.S. presidents had come and gone.
When a nurse asked her the year and who the president was, Kim replied, “1980… Ronald Reagan.”
The gap in time was jarring for her. “TVs are now smart,” she laughed, reflecting on how TVs used to be bulky, wall-mounted boxes. “The TV I remember was a box we had to get up and change the channel.”
Now, nearly five years later, Kim, now 60, still hasn’t regained those lost memories.
Doctors diagnosed her with transient global amnesia (TGA), a condition that can cause temporary, severe memory loss. Even after multiple tests and scans, no one could pinpoint what caused her sudden memory lapse.
“They told me, if by now I haven’t gotten it back, then I probably won’t,” Kim shared.
Despite the heartbreaking memory loss, Kim hasn’t let it break her spirit. She’s rekindled her bond with her husband and re-lived her children’s childhood through old photos and videos.
“I may have lost my memories, but guess what? We can make new ones,” Kim said, showing that even without her past, the future is still full of possibilities.
The National Institutes of Health defines TGA as a temporary form of amnesia that often strikes middle-aged and older individuals. It can happen during high-stress events or migraines, just like the one Kim experienced. While some recover their memories in 24 hours, others, like Kim, may never regain theirs.
Though the cause remains unclear, experts suspect a link between TGA and factors like heart disease, migraines, or high cholesterol.
Kim’s story reminds us that life is unpredictable, but it’s never too late to make new memories. What would you do if you lost everything from the last 30 years? Would you start fresh, or try to find a way back to what was lost? Share your thoughts and tell your friends—it’s a story that makes you think about the things we sometimes take for granted.
