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Outlook: The man who didn't remember and the woman who never forgets

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Adam and Raquel Gonzales on their wedding day. Plus Rebecca Sharrock

23/02/2021 GMT

The man who didn't remember and the woman who never forgets

BBC World Service - Outlook, The man who didn't remember and the woman who never forgets

What it's like to lose years of memories, and how it feels to never forget a single day

What it's like to lose years of memories, and how it feels to never forget a single day.

What happens to a marriage when one partner loses their memory and has no recollection of ever having been in love with the other person? It happened to an American couple Adam and Raquel Gonzales in 2016, about four years into their relationship. They met in Phoenix, Arizona after Adam had moved there from Texas with his children. This story was first broadcast in April 2018; it contains a disturbing reference to a violent attack. 

Australian Rebecca Sharrock can remember everything she's ever said, done or felt. She’s one of just 80 or so people in the world who’ve been diagnosed with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, or HSAM. Her condition’s been verified by researchers at the University of California Irvine. Not only can Rebecca recall what she was doing on any particular day, the memory is so strong that it’s like she’s there in that moment all over again. So does she think of her memory as a blessing or a curse? This story was first broadcast in August 2018.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com


Image and credit: Adam and Raquel Gonzales/Rebecca Sharrock

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