18 months ago, Caitlin Little’s life took a radical turn after suffering an accident that left her with anterograde amnesia and has left many people shocked.
A normal day in the life of Caitlin Little, an American teenager, before her accident, Caitlin attended school, hung out with her friends, went to events with her family, practiced sports and many other activities. However, everything took an unexpected turn after she had an accident that leaves her with no memory every day. Her case has shocked many users on social networks since her experiences have been made known concerning her accident.
The nightmare began on October 12, 2017 just eight weeks into her freshman year at Southeast Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina — Caitlin, then 14, collided head-to-head with one of her cross-country teammates, and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
After the cross country meet, her mother Jennifer Little picked her up and as the teenager approached her family’s truck, she couldn’t remember how to open the door. From that day on her life has changed dramatically, because she can remember everything about her life up to the day of the accident. But after the collision, she can only retain new memories for a minute at a time, before her brain “resets” and she forgets everything that just happened. Similar to the occurrences that the Drew Barrymore’s character experiences in ‘50 First Dates’.
She does not know what day it is or the classes she attends at Southeast Guilford High School in Greensboro. When Caitlin wakes up daily, she thinks it is the day after the injury occurred. Her father Chris Little gently lifts her from her sleep and tells her that she had an accident during skiing.
What Illness Does She Have?
Although they have visited several specialists, doctors still cannot find a solution for this condition called anterograde amnesia. It is a form of amnesia caused by a traumatic brain injury that restores your brain while you sleep, making you forget everything that happened the day before.
The parents of the minor said that at first the doctors indicated that 90% of these cases resolve themselves in about 3 weeks. But three weeks passed and then three months. She wasn’t getting better. And now, more than 18 months after the incident, Caitlin can only remember most of what happens on any given day, but her brain resets overnight and, each morning, she wakes up with no memory of the day before.
How Are Her Days?
To help her get by, her family posts sticky notes throughout the home. Sarah Little, her sister, told Fox8 that they have to put stickers everywhere with words that say “eat me”, “drink me”, “use this”, among others. During her school life, the minor has to ask what class she is in. She even forgot how long ago she knew her peers.
In the next chapter of their journey Caitlin’s family will be traveling to South Dakota to get stem cell therapy in the hopes that her memory will improve. As of recently she has been living with a memory reset about every 60 seconds and reoccurring fevers as well as joint and bone pain. Her mother wrote on a verified GoFundMe page created to help with medical expenses.
“We ask for help with the GoFundMe as we prepare since costs are going to add up quickly with this journey. We’d appreciate folks sharing to help in any way folks can. Every little bit helps. If you feel like doing more, this is the best place now. Neither of us are working right now and things are piling up fast. We will find a way to do it and continue to trust that God will guide us . ”
