A teenage girl wakes up every morning thinking it is June 11th after sufering a blow to the head that causes her to lose her memory every two hours.
June 11th was the day a student accidentally kicked Riley Horner from Monmouth, Illinois, in the head, while crowd-surfing at a dance on, WQAD reported. This trauma caused the teenager to suffer dozens of seizures.
Now, the schoolgirl's memory resets every couple of hours. Horner can't remember that her uncle died last week, although her family tells her every day, her mother Sarah Horner told the broadcaster.
To try to keep up at school, the teenager must set an alarm every two hours, to remind herself to look over the detailed notes she takes in class. She carries all of her belongings around with her because she can't remember her locker number.
And doctors aren't sure what is causing her symptoms. Horner was initially diagnosed with concussion. And after a number of hospital visits and tests, doctors said that they can't see what is wrong.
"You can't see a concussion though on an MRI or a CT scan. There's no brain bleed, there's no tumor," Sarah Horner explained.
Riley told WQAD that come supper time, she'll have no recollection that she was interviewed or appeared on the news.
"I have a calendar on my door and I look and it's September and I'm like 'woah'," the teenager said.
"I know it's hard for them [her family] as much as it's hard for me. And people just don't understand. It's like a movie," she said.
"I'm very confused and try to think back but I can't." Riley added: "I'm not making memories and I'm just really scared."
The family is now racing against time to find answers, as doctors fear she may suffer irreversible damage to her short-term memory if left untreated six months after her injury.
Sarah Horner has urged anyone who can help to come forward.
She said: "We need help. We need somebody that knows a little bit more because she deserves better."
"[Doctors] told us that she might just be like this forever. And I am not okay with that," the mother said.
Memory loss can be caused by a range of conditions, according to Mayo Clinic, including head trauma like the schoolgirl suffered. Even if a person doesn't lose consciousness, their memory can be affected if they suffer a head injury.
Memory loss can also be caused by other conditions, such as dementia, as well as by certain medications; by emotional problems such as anxiety and depression; by alcoholism; by vitamin B12 deficiency; by an underactive thyroid; and by brain tumours or infections.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kashmira Gander is Deputy Science Editor at Newsweek. Her interests include health, gender, LGBTQIA+ issues, human rights, subcultures, music, and lifestyle. Her ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
