Excerpt from the article in Freethink:
There is no doubt that Greg Teasley has prepared for this phone interview more than I have.
“I spent hours writing these notes, over and over again,” Teasley says. He’s got an opening summary, impacts categorized, the way he manages them, all laid out with architectural precision so he remembers what he wants to say. After having two parts of his brain removed following traumatic injury, Teasley suffers from severe memory loss; he lives in a transient world that’s almost impossible for us to understand. That’s why he’s been excitedly researching efforts to restore active memory, including brain implants.
For now, Teasley’s recall is severely limited. “Seconds,” Teasley chuckles. “It’s seconds and it’s gone.”
After our interview is over, Teasley likely won’t be able to tell you what we’ve talked about. Our respective notes, my recording, the emailed introductions and logistical details; these are the only evidence he will have that the interview existed.
He hasn’t read a book in years. Each song he listens to is new, or a ghost. He recalls numbers best; he’s always been good. He might remember hanging out with you, but not what you’ve talked about. Anxiety accompanies social occasions. Kind humor from those around him helps, but he struggles with depression and anxiety. The condition makes it impossible for him to hold a job, and taking his college classes difficult — although he surely takes better notes than everyone else. And GPS is a godsend.
“It’s really difficult for people to understand what I’m going through,” Teasley says.
To live in such a phantom world, Teasley turns Joan Didion, taking notes and photos on his phone as everything unfurls. He color codes, italicizes, writes things over and over again, alphabetizes, and links numbers with words. He’s been told scented markers may help, to associate a scent with that he wants to remember. It is a challenge, for both him and those around him.
But he has hope.
Read the rest of the article in Freethink...
