The desire to become an ideal wife almost deprived her of her mind.
The stranger took her by the hand and led her around the house. She thought that the house, of course, is beautiful and this man is very nice, but why does he call himself her husband? And she was horrified by his explanations.
Marie Coe was 54 years old and had been married to Mark Coe for the last 11 years. Now 55-year-old Mark stood in front of her and told her anew the whole story of their family life.
Marie has experienced memory loss as a result of stress. The last 20 years of my life have completely disappeared from my head.
She returned from the hospital to a house unknown to her, accompanied by an unknown man. “Everything looked so strange and unfamiliar—I felt like I was living someone else’s life.” She was informed that she has an adult daughter, Zoya, and seven grandchildren aged 6 to 17 years. But she couldn’t remember any of them.
“Zoya met me at the hospital with Mark, she was upset to tears that I didn’t recognize anyone.”
Before her illness, Marie was a very energetic woman: she worked 6 days a week, constantly coming up with some adventures and holidays for her huge family and relatives. I traveled around the country and did charity work. She was constantly in business. That’s what knocked her down.
“I’ve been trying to be a superwoman all my life. If I was tired, I just immersed myself in another job, if I was sad, I went to work.”
That was until Marie’s mom died. Our energetic heroine decided to try her usual recipe and throw herself into work. And she left. One day she came out of the office after work and couldn’t remember who she was.
“I didn’t remember my name, where I live and what I do. I walked around the neighborhood for a day, completely lost. I asked a passerby to tell me what kind of city I am in. And the kind man, after a few questions, called the doctors for me.”
At the hospital, she was diagnosed with stress-induced amnesia. Doctors did not find any stroke or other organic brain damage in her. Worried husband and daughter rushed to her hospital, but she did not recognize them. They had to show joint photos so that Marie would at least believe that they were not strangers to her. Mark was completely lost to find his wife in such a state. She spent the next six months at home under his strict supervision.
“I couldn’t remember elementary things and even forgot what happened 5 minutes ago. He was very patient and friendly to me. He literally coddled me until my memory gradually began to improve. He re-taught me how to cook my favorite dishes and this was the first impetus for the return of memory. He was patient and caring, told me so many interesting things. It was like we had everything for the first time. And you know, I fell in love with my husband again! He’s the best person I could ever meet.”
