I’m Michelle. I write. I knit. I forget.

In 2019, my gallbladder ruptured and caused a severe infection that cut off oxygen to my brain, leaving me with permanent brain damage. I remember the fluorescent hospital lights, the stiff sheets beneath me, and then nothing.

When I opened my eyes, almost everything was gone. I had lost many of my memories, my sense of place, and much of my backstory.

I was diagnosed with both retrograde and anterograde amnesia. Anterograde amnesia means having trouble remembering new things. Retrograde amnesia means having trouble remembering things from the past.

I write notes about my everyday experiences—things I notice, thoughts that come to me, and moments I want to remember. I publish them here so I can keep all those thoughts and observations in one place.