Living The Good Life
Seven years ago, Steve and Camre Curto were one of those happy couples with no significant troubles. Yes, maybe they were a little bit more stressed than usual due to her pregnancy, but that's the case for every couple expecting a child.
Besides, chances were that their first baby was going to be healthy, since no complications whatsoever had had appeared during the first months.
Plans For The Future
Steve, who at that time was 31 years old, had been together with her beloved wife for 10 years already, and having kids of their own was their next big step.
After years of facing new challenges in their life as a couple, they were thrilled by the prospect of starting a family, and with that goal in mind they had recently moved to a peaceful neighborhood in Michigan.
Problems Appear
They shared a fantasy where they imagined themselves with their future son, teaching him to ride a bike. Everything was going according to plan... until Camre's third trimester kicked in. After the 30th week of pregnancy, Camre's health abruptly began to go downhill.
At first, the couple wasn't too worried: after all, vomiting and exhaustion aren't such rare symptoms for a pregnant woman. But when she started to suffer breathing problems as a result of what appeared to be a throat inflammation, they began to panic and went straight to the hospital.
The Seizure Hits
Upon arrival, Camre suffered a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, also known as grand mal seizure. These types of seizures usually occur to people who go trough an attack of epilepsy.
Actually, treatment isn't needed for most cases, but the thing is that Camre was 33 weeks into pregnancy! As you can imagine, that definitely made her a high risk patient.
Is The Baby OK?
Her state was critical, so the doctors immediately decided to carry out a C-section. Indeed, not only Camre was in great danger, but considering her situation, the baby was in jeopardy as well.
As it turned out, the couple's first child (which they named Gavin) was born just fine, but the problems had far from ended. As opposed to little baby Gavin, the mother's condition only got worse.
At The Brink Of Death
Sadly, Camre Curto had a stroke a few hours after labor. Her husband went from the relief of hearing the doctors assure that his baby boy was OK, to the terrible news about his dear wife.
Camre was now at the brink of death, and even if she managed to survive, her brain was surely going to suffer huge consequences. Slide next to find out what happened next.
Amnesia
Luckily enough, she did survive the ordeal, but as the doctors feared, the stroke produced a huge amount of damage to both of her brain's hemispheres.
The worst consequence was that Camre had forgotten almost everything: who she was, who her parents and her husband were... the most memorable events of her life were now nothing but a huge blur.
A Real Nightmare
How could this be happening to them? The news left Steve at a loss of words. He hoped that the last couple of hours had only been a disturbing nightmare... but no.
So many questions tumbled upon each other: was there a treatment for his wife? Was she going to remember who he was as time passed? Was his marriage going to survive? How would this affect the baby?
The Reason Behind The Seizure
First, he needed to know exactly what had happened to Camre’s brain. After getting to grips with the problem and calming down a bit, he met the doctors and they explained that his wife suffered from preeclampsia.
Preeclamsia is actually a common disease that affects pregnant woman that experience high blood pressure. Had it been diagnosed beforehand, things could’ve turned out differently, but thinking about this was futile.
Eclampsia Disaster
Camre's undiagnosed condition had limited the blood supply that the fetus needed to receive. Taking this into account, it was a true miracle that Gavin had been born healthy.
The eclampsia had provoked the seizure, and the latter had, as we mentioned, caused terrible damage to both of her brain's hemispheres, resulting in a severe case of amnesia. But was there anything she still remembered?
Who Are These People?
That's right, not only was her long-term memory gone, but the short-term memory as well. This meant that Camre Curto didn't recognize her child or her husband, nor herself!
As unbelievable as it sounds, her whole life and identity were completely gone. Steve felt devastated, but he knew that throwing in the towel wasn't an option.
Steve's Unrelenting Spirit
Steve couldn’t let himself be down in the dumps or grieving this tragic incident: he promised himself that everything was going to get better and he was going to do anything within reach.
During the first couple of weeks, Camre stayed at her parents’ house while an occupational therapist helped her relearn basic things like dressing up or cooking. But how did Steve cope with the situation?
A Single Father
During this stressful initial period, Steve took care of their child, since baby Gavin needed the connection and warmth that a parental figure provides, and his mother wasn't able to recognize the little boy as her son.
But this is easier said than done, as Steve also had a demanding job and a wife to recover. Each day was a struggle, but he somehow managed to pull through.
Can Love Be Reborn?
There was something that Steve couldn't get out of his mind. Could he make Camre fall in love with him again? It seemed like an arduous task, but their marriage would collapse if he didn't try.
If this scenario rings a bell, it's probably because you've seen 50 First Dates, the famous romantic film that stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. But while that movie had a happy ending, would the same go for Steve?
Trying To Stay Positive
When Camre visited her husband and son, Steve tried to stay positive, hoping that her condition would slowly go away. He constantly did his best to recount their first dates, their awesome wedding, and their honeymoon.
However, Camre never remembered any of those stories. But when Steve's faith was starting to crumble, his wife said something that kept him going.
The Power Of Love
One of those afternoons when she visited them for some hours, the whole family was chilling and talking in the living room when the unbelievable happened. After some seconds where Camre appeared to be lost in thought, she said a few words that left Steve baffled.
She focused her gaze on her husband's eyes, and said: "I don't know who you are but I know I love you". Steve suddenly froze, his heart thumping wildly. Had she really recognized him?
Never Surrender
In that precise moment, Steve Curto came to a crucial realization: their love was such a powerful force that it even exceeded the memories and special nights they had shared.
If Camre felt that, then he now had all the motivation he needed to push forward and fight for their future. Ever since that day, impossible was nothing for Steve.
A Slow Recovery
As the years went by, Camre made extremely slow progress regarding her amnesia. It wasn't long before she learned how to walk again, though learning how to talk properly was more challenging.
However, she did discover the joy of being a mother and learned to recognize and value her child and husband as two of the most special figures in her life and recovery. To help her out, Steve embarked on a challenging project.
But I Know I Love You
Steve decided to write a book about their 10 ten years as a couple before the incident. He called it But I Know I Love You, and the day it was finally published he said some wise words from which we can all learn a thing or two.
“Memories are everything to us and most people take them for granted… I know I did. That’s one reason I’m sharing this story”, Steve said. That's definitely some food for thought.
Love Can Do Anything
The book was released last year and their moving story touched the hearts of thousands of readers. Steve's story really served as an inspiration to thousands of people battling similar diseases.
Though Camre is still facing many hardships (most of the meds that she needs to take to prevent seizures hinder her memory) the love of her family has helped her move on and enjoy life.
New Improvements
Nowadays, her memory is thankfully improving little by little due to a recent surgery that the neurologist recommended to slow down the recurring seizures.
With the help of science, the book documenting the most important moments of her story with Steve, and the unwavering faith of her husband, Camre's memory will surely keep improving!