When Edneide Melo awoke in a hospital room, disoriented and confused, she was shocked to see a familiar face. “What is the guy from my job interview doing here?” she thought, mistakenly believing she had been in an accident after leaving the office where she’d applied for a job.
But as she took in her surroundings, she realised something was terribly amiss.She didn’t recognise the hospital, her phone, or even her own reflection. Her hands seemed older, and her once youthful body had changed in unrecognisable ways.
When the man beside her claimed they were married, she thought it was a prank. Demanding to see her parents, she was startled by their aged appearance; her mother’s hair now grey, her father’s face lined with time.
The hospital room in Santo André, Brazil, with its unfamiliar sterile smell and strange medical equipment, felt completely foreign. The technology too was baffling; she reached for her phone expecting an old model but found a sleek, modern device she couldn’t unlock, reports the Mirror.
And when doctors asked her who the president of Brazil was, she confidently said: “Lula” – not realising it was 2017, and Lula hadn’t been president for six years. Edneide lost 14 years of her memory and shared her harrowing tale in an hour-long episode of Radio Novelo Apresenta, a podcast in her native language. The last thing she remembered was being a 25 year old mechanical engineering student in 2003, working in IT for financial reasons.
She was engaged to another man and was excited about getting married, graduating, and starting the life she had planned. She had only met Thiago, the man sitting next to her hospital bed, once at a job interview for a technical support role. She had no memory of marrying him, having a daughter, or building a new career.
Surgery
Before the memory loss, 39-year-old Edneide (known as Neide by friends and family) had undergone routine surgery to remove nasal polyps. This was her fourth such operation and there had never been any complications before.
However, shortly after waking up from the anaesthesia, she complained of a severe headache. Her husband, Thiago, became increasingly worried as she reported escalating pain, but the medical staff dismissed it as discomfort from post-surgical nasal packing. Within hours, Neide lost consciousness. When she woke up, she had regressed to 2003.
Doctors initially diagnosed her with postoperative cognitive dysfunction, a rare reaction to general anaesthesia. They reassured her family that her memory would return within 30 days. It didn’t. Several months later, after additional medical assessments, a neurologist discovered she had a genetic mutation known as Factor V Leiden, a condition that heightens the risk of blood clots. The probable cause of her memory loss was an undiagnosed stroke (AVC) triggered during or post-surgery.
Her family was stunned to discover that this diagnosis had been noted in her medical records, but never communicated to them at the hospital.
Return to unknown
When Neide was discharged, she was taken to a home she didn’t recognise, to live with a husband and daughter she couldn’t remember. Her parents, who she yearned to return to, had moved out of their old home years ago and insisted she stay with the family she had created.
But to her, Thiago was a stranger, and their 13-year-old daughter, Natália, was merely “the girl”. “The hardest part was that I didn’t feel like her mother,” Neide confessed. “I knew what motherhood was supposed to be, but I had no connection with her.”
Everything in the house was alien. The furniture, the decor, the clothes hanging in her wardrobe – none of it belonged to her, at least not in her mind. She struggled with technology, baffled by a world where televisions no longer had bulky backs and music no longer played from CDs but from invisible streaming services.
Thiago gave his all to support her in piecing her life back together. Their friends pitched in, presenting photos, videos, and even playing her wedding video, hoping it would strike a chord in her memory. Instead, these efforts only escalated her frustration. She confided, “People kept trying to force my past on me. I felt trapped in a life I didn’t choose.”
Natália, merely 13 at the time, had to swiftly come to terms with their new reality. “Overnight, I went from having a super protective mother to having to guide her,” she detailed. “I had to teach her how to use a microwave, how to use the TV. It was like taking care of a child.”
Dealing with memory loss
For many months, Neide battled with depression, frustration, and the urge to abandon her unfamiliar existence. But buoyed by the unwavering support of her friends, she resolved to remain and brave the process of fitting into her changed circumstances.
Counselling became indispensable for both mother and child. Neide made strides with strategies for coping, while Natália learned to manage the emotional gulf that had emerged between them.
Their lives took a positive turn when their therapist proposed the idea of adopting a dog. Conan’s arrival, a cheerful little Spitz, marked a significant milestone. “He became my emotional anchor,” Neide reflected. “Today, I don’t go anywhere without him.”
Yet, navigating her relationship with Thiago proved to be one of the toughest challenges. Even as Thiago showed immense patience, he found it tough to cope with his wife’s detachment, someone who previously adored him now treating him as an unknown. “It was like mourning someone who was still alive,” he confessed.
Their marriage wavered for years, with Neide considering leaving but staying put due to a lack of alternatives. However, building new memories slowly altered her view of Thiago. “People would tell me, ‘You married him for a reason,’ but I couldn’t see it,” she confessed. “It took years for me to truly see him as my partner again.”
A new apartment move eventually made her feel more in control, strengthening their connection progressively. Acceptance came seven years post-incident, with Neide’s memory still blank on those 14 years. By 2025, she’d come to terms with the loss, reclaimed her career in Human Resources, and reforged her bond with Thiago, albeit differently.
“Do I love him? Yes, but in a different way than I did before,” she acknowledged. “Before, it was passion. Now, it’s companionship.” Now, their family equilibrium is restored, acknowledging the complex yet solid mother-daughter relationship. “It’s not perfect, but it’s ours,” Natália stated.
And for Neide, the journey has underscored her resilience: “I opened my eyes, and Thiago was there,” she reflected. “That was my reality. And I have to learn to live with it.” Neide has written a book, Ao Abrir Meus Olhos, which translates to “When I Opened My Eyes”, and has appeared on two prominent podcasts in her native country.