Kay Delaney, 55, from Newton in Cambridgeshire, says she 'lost' 20 years of her life after a fall in July last year. What seemed a simple bump on the head caused retrograde amnesia, erasing memories from 1990 onwards.
Miss Delaney now struggles to recognise her reflection, believing she is still 34. She recalls nothing of her youngest son James's birth or childhood; he is now 20. Her older children, Kenny and Sandy, are 27 and 23, but she remembers them as aged seven and two.
'When people told me the date, I thought there was a conspiracy,' she said. 'It was a massive shock.' She described feeling 'bewildered' by her grown-up children, who seemed like strangers. With time, she has built 'a lovely friendship' with them, but admits it still hurts.
Miss Delaney also suffers short-term memory loss and anxiety, preventing her from working. She receives support from the Cambridgeshire branch of Headway, a brain injury charity. Brain injury adviser Alice Everett explained that retrograde amnesia is difficult to treat, and patients often learn to cope with the loss rather than regain memories.
Historical events like Princess Diana's death came as 'a complete shock' to Miss Delaney. She remembers Margaret Thatcher as prime minister and is confused by Tony Blair. Modern technology, such as flat-screen TVs and mobile phones, is unfamiliar. 'The whole world has changed,' she said. 'It's a bit scary at times.'
