Brain tumor surgery took away all of Weronika's memories. She didn't even recognize her parents

Weronika suffered from a rare complication — retrograde amnesia. She couldn't remember events or people from her life before the surgery. These weren't temporary ailments. Her memories never returned.

"I only know what my parents told me. The doctors were checking if I knew them and it was like I was seeing their faces for the first time. Going home was terrifying. I just did what they told me. It felt like I was going home to strangers who said they were my mum and dad. My mum showed me my room, which they had decorated for me after the operation, but none of it looked like it was mine. I remember looking at my clothes and wondering who would wear this?" Weronika tells BBC Scotland News.

After the surgery, Weronika's personality changed and she lost her family relationships. "My parents never lost that bond with me, and even now I don't think my relationship with them is as close as they would like it to be. I'm more isolated, I'm an individual," says Weronika, who is now 25.

She didn't recognize her parents and friends

— My parents would show me photo albums all the time and it would really annoy me. They would talk and laugh about things I did when I was younger, but no matter how hard I tried to focus on them, I didn't understand anything. I didn't like looking at photos with them because they have an emotional attachment to those moments and I don't — says the Polish woman.

After returning to school, the teenager had to learn everything all over again. In this case, however, the learning took her little time, because after the repetitions, the knowledge seemed to unlock — it was enough to repeat the multiplication table twice to remember it. But she did not recognize any of her friends. What's more, after the surgery, she began to be drawn to other people.

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After 10 years, the cancer returned. Weronika was terrified that she would lose her memory again.

Unfortunately, ten years after the surgery, it turned out that Weronika's tumor began to grow back. It was March 2024 when doctors decided that a second surgery was necessary. One of her first thoughts was - would she lose her memory again?

— I was devastated. The surgeon said it was possible that history would repeat itself. But this time the tumor was deeper and I needed surgery to increase my chances of living longer — says Weronika.

As surgeon Imran Liaquat explained, Veronica's tumor was located in the right frontal lobe of the brain, responsible for abstract thinking, creativity and concentration. The surgery was risky. Doctors had to identify what was a tumor and what was healthy tissue, and then remove the growth without taking tissue, because that could affect brain function.

The Polish woman's fiancé prepared for every eventuality

Weronika was terrified that after the surgery she would wake up and not know who her fiancé Cameron was.

“Last time, he changed who I was. What if I don’t like him after the surgery?” Weronika wondered. But Cameron rose to the occasion. He created photo albums documenting the history of their relationship, wrote notes and letters to his fiancée.

"She means everything to me—absolutely everything. If she were to lose her memory after surgery, I would simply have to make her fall in love with me again," he explains.

In preparation for the surgery, Weronika wrote down all her bank details and passwords, a will, and a letter to her partner in case of a worst-case scenario. When it came time for her to wake up from the surgery, the entire ward literally held its breath.

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"I still remember you"

"I woke up and everyone was there - this time it didn't feel like surgery, it felt like a nap. My family was in pieces the whole time. But I was completely conscious and I knew exactly what had happened. I was able to talk. I saw Imran and I remember saying, 'I still remember you,'" Weronika says.

The 25-year-old is currently recovering. She married her boyfriend in December. Now that the tumor has been completely removed, she is looking forward to her happy life ahead. She is grateful to the doctors who performed the surgery.

"I don't think I can express my gratitude enough to these two surgeons. This is the second time they've saved my life," she says.

(Source: BBC)