After a terrible car accident, a man lost all his memories. His mind no longer contained any knowledge of time past and present. Waking up to his newly found ignorance, the man became frightened. While staring at the hospital ceiling, below the lights of the room he saw the face of a young nurse…
“Who am I?” Asked the frightened man. “…and… who, who are you?”
“You were involved in a car accident, sir. You are lucky to be alive. We have informed your family and they will be here shortly to see you. I am a nurse who will take care of you in the meanwhile.”
“Uhm… so, so you don’t know me?” mumbled the man.
“No, I don’t really know you,” said the nurse.
After a few minutes, his wife arrived at the hospital. While standing at the door, with tears in her eyes, she saw her husband lying in the bed. She was relieved when she heard that he had no physical injuries. But his mental state was still uncertain.
“Who are you?” Asked the frightened man when he saw the sorrowing woman standing at the door. “And.. who… who am I?”
“I am your wife. We have been married for seven years. We have two little babies together. You, you don’t remember anything?” Said the woman while swallowing her tears.
“No, I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember who I am,” said the frightened man.
The wife burst into tears as she faced this new reality. But she found enough strength to compose herself since her husband needed her now more than ever. She sat on the chair near the bed. She pointed to their matching rings that had their initials. She showed him pictures of their wedding, their children, their house. She showed him their life together. For hours and hours, with loving care the wife shared memories with her husband, hoping that their memories will return his erased love for her.
But they didn’t. The memories did not return.
But the wife returned.
Every day, the wife returned to the hospital to share new memories with her husband. She had boundless love for her husband, and her husband used to have a great love for her. But now, he didn’t even remember her. With love, she shared all their memories together in order to awaken the love that was now asleep in the man’s heart.
The parents of the frightened man also came to the hospital to see their son. They also shared memories of his childhood. They told him all the stories of his life, from the moments of making his first baby steps to the moments when his steps left their childhood home. They told him that every child leaves home when he wants to form a new home. They loved their son and wanted him to remember the two parents that gave him life.
But the frightened man couldn’t remember anything. He could not recognize his own parents.
Sometimes friends and colleagues also came to the hospital to visit their friend. They also shared stories of their common life. They reassured him not to fear since they are there for him, they will try to help him remember.
A whole year went by. A year in which the forgetful man created new memories, but had no new recollections of old ones.
Every day for a whole year the wife came to the hospital to see the man without memories.
Every other day, the parents came to see their son that had forgotten them.
On some odd days, his friends came to see the man who was now no longer their friend.
Despite the effort from everyone around him, the man was still lost. He still couldn’t remember anything of his past life. He couldn’t remember who he is.
But one day, stifling in the air of his own melancholy, the frightened man learned something that he now knew beyond any doubt. The frightened man gained an insight that dissolved all his fears. During the whole year, he had learned one thing that now he knew for certain.
The man knew that only those who really knew him loved him. The more they knew him, the greater was their love for him. Or maybe the more they loved him, the more they understood him.
Either way, this knowledge was enough to break all his fears. In light of this new insight, all his memories came back to his mind. The man finally remembered who he is. The man finally found his lost mind.