However, their joy at her recovery soon turned to worry as they discovered she had lost most of her memories - and even how to talk, read and write.
Liz, 24, could not even remember that she didn't like to eat bananas after her brain was damaged by encephalitis - swelling of the brain.
But in the two years since waking up, she has been able to rediscover her life thanks to photo albums and diaries painstakingly put together by her friends and family.
Liz, from South Brent, Devon, said: 'When I look through the scrapbooks from mum and the rest of the family I’m just overwhelmed with emotion.
'I just started crying when I looked through it, I couldn’t believe I had been through all this and had no recollection of it at all.
'My mum and family must have been terrified when I was ill and when I looked at the scrapbooks she’d made, I couldn’t believe that I’d done so many things that I had no memory of.
'I’m now unsure whether the memories I have are those of my own or just from photographs and other people’s memories - but I’m so thankful to my mum for going to so much trouble.'
Liz caught the disease - usually caused by the herpes simplex virus that also causes cold sores and chicken pox - after returning from a family holiday to the Carribean.
The condition - which can be fatal - causes excess fluid and swelling inside the skull, and can lead to brain damage.
In Liz’s case, her immune system responded by attacking her own brain, which did even more damage.
She said: 'I was lying on the floor at home and began having a seizure.
'That’s the last thing I remember. It’s only thanks to reading my mum’s diary that I learned about what happened to me.'
When she woke up, 14 weeks after doctors were forced to sedate her, huge chunks of her life were missing, including birthdays, holidays and her time studying psychology at university.
Her mother Cathy, 52, and sister Sarah, were shocked at her condition but resolved to help her remember who she was using This Is Your Life-style scrapbooks.
Cathy said: 'I tested Liz’s memory by asking her if she liked bananas, which I know she hates, and when she said she liked them my stomach sunk as I knew that her memory had been affected.
'Liz had regressed back to being like a small child when she woke up from the sedation and so we had to teach her everything all over again.
'When she was trying to string a sentence together she would just forget a word as she was talking, she still does it now.
'Her determination to learn to walk again was incredible and she was back on her feet quickly but we knew this would be a long road to recovery.'
Cathy, a GP, couldn’t understand what was happening when Liz first became ill and doctors were equally as baffled.
It wasn’t until blood tests sent to Oxford University Hospital were looked at that the doctors had an idea of what was happening to her daughter.
She said: 'I was so worried when she first fell ill, she just changed and became a whole other person.
'When they said they wanted to sedate her I knew it was something serious and all I could think was how much I wanted her to be better again.
'I kept a diary of everything that went on as it was good for me to write it down and get my feelings written down.
'I also decided to create the scrapbooks so that Liz would have something to go through to remember the things she forgot.
'I am so glad she can’t remember the time that she was ill as it was such a traumatic time, I wouldn’t want her to keep that memory.'
While Liz remembered some parts of her life, she claims that her memories are like a jigsaw without all of its pieces.
Liz has been unable to work as she still has relapses and hasn’t built up the confidence she once had before.
Liz said: 'I do a lot of voluntary work with The Encephalitis Society and they have helped me in so many ways.
'There are a lot of other young people who have been through a similar situation to mine and it has such a devastating effect.
'People assume that memory loss comes with age but this disease takes memory from young people who have barely been able to make that many memories.
'I studied psychology at university and so learning about the human mind and then having this happen to me was so ironic.
'It fascinates me how this disease works and how it affects your behaviour and your memory in such an extreme way.'
'I’m not going to let this determine who I am as a person, it doesn’t control me.
'I have met so many great people through the encephalitis society and have been given so many great opportunities.
'You could look at all the things that have changed in a negative way because of this but I just prefer to look on a more positive side and look at what I can do to help instead.'
Phillippa Chatman, operations manager of The Encephalitis Society, said that Liz's fight to regain her life is typical of people who suffer from the disease.
She said: 'Liz has shown amazing strength of character since being affected by Encephalitis.
'As with any case, it was a highly traumatic time for Liz and her family, and it shows just how devastating this condition can be.
'Like many others, she was left to pick up the pieces and start again, learning to walk and talk.
'As well as raising funds for The Encephalitis Society, Liz is now an OCN accredited Regional Representative, where she offers guidance, help and support for others who have been affected.
'It’s a service that is absolutely invaluable to our charity. It’s an absolute pleasure to have Liz on our team and we’re very proud of her accomplishments.'
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