'Real-life 50 First Dates': Mom who survived traumatic brain injury at age 9 forgets she has family after sudden memory loss
TORONTO, CANADA: A Toronto mother who forgot she had a family after suffering traumatic brain injury has been dubbed "50 First Dates in Real Life." Nesh Pillay, a former journalist who is now 32, suffered a head injury in a car accident in South Africa when he was nine. In a TikTok video, Nesh Pillay struggles with the realization that she has a daughter, a partner and a family - and that she has completely forgotten about them.
Nesh says that when she suffered an injury as a child, "not a lot was known about traumatic brain injuries" She claims that over time, it took smaller and smaller blows to the head to cause a concussion, and that the symptoms got worse each time. "At the time, not a lot was known about traumatic brain injuries," she told Newsweek. "But over the years I've had quite a few concussions and as time goes on, it takes less and less of a bump for you to get a concussion—and every time my symptoms are worse and worse." Her health also hit an all-time low in October 2022. "I told my family that I had bumped my head, but I don't remember," she explained. "My neurologist thinks I probably had some sort of minor bump, and that I may have had some seizures following that." The memory loss seemed to come suddenly for Pillay and her family. No one guessed what was going to happen when she woke up claiming she was not feeling quite well and wanted to take a nap.
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Nesh was in a 'constant state of panic'
Talking about an incident Nesh said, "I told my family that I had bumped my head, but I don't remember," reports Newsweek. Feeling unwell, she went to take a nap but when she woke up she was "very confused" and "didn't know what was going on." "Then over the course of a couple of hours, I lost my memory. By that evening I didn't know who my partner was, I didn't know much about my daughter. That's so difficult," she told the outlet. Nesh said that she was in a constant state of panic and it was 'tough' not being able to recognize those around her. She explained: "My neurologist thinks I probably had some sort of minor bump, and that I may have had some seizures following that."
As a result, family members had to be with Nesh all the time-even when she showered-because she forgot what she was doing and where she was. Nesh, who said she still can not remember much about October or November, has been in and out of hospitals since then, sharing her recovery on TikTok.
When Pillay lost her memory, she completely forgot about her boyfriend; at times, she even believed he was an Uber driver. Her boyfriend is still there for her and takes care of her without ever pushing her to think about him, and Pillay talks about how she fell in love with him again in an Instagram video she shared on her handle.
'Real-life 50 First Dates'
In a series of candid clips, she has documented the reality of life after brain injury as she struggles with symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, as well as anxiety and confusion. Nesh lost her sense of time and place, so family members always had to be by her side, even when she was showering.
Since then, Nesh has been in and out of hospitals and has documented her recovery on TikTok. She claims she still can not remember much about October or November. She has been open about the reality of life after a brain injury, while struggling with symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, as well as anxiety and confusion.
The mother-of-one quickly earned the moniker "real-life 50 First Dates" after gaining more than 33,000 followers. Nesh shared a number of clips in one of the illuminating videos while narrating: "A few months ago, I lost my mind—okay, my memory. I didn't know my age or what year it was so I was shocked to find my sisters grown up. "I thought my partner was hired help and struggled to remember my own daughter. I even lost my short-term memory. "There were a lot of doctors visits and hospital visits and tests.
"I don't remember most of the last few months but I am definitely on the road to recovery. "This situation has taught me to value my brain and my memories and to spend as much of my life as I can making new memories." She later posted the same video on her Instagram handle.