Posted by
Anantha
| Posted in
Real Story
| Posted on
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Few days later I got reports from doctor about Clive’s violent behavior with maids. He used to jump out of the moving car when taken on brief visits to home off the hospital. Doctors even complained Clive once threw a chair at the nurse who had come to medicate him.
An evening I visited Clive in hospital. Doctor was testing the damage caused by the virus on Clive’s memory. The doctor was prompting Clive to name few things he points to. The doctor showed him a pen and asked Clive to name it. Clive replied “It’s a chicken!!!!” in an authoritative tone. He said the same to an apple, a chair and a capsule too!! Shocked by Clive’s reply I looked perplexedly at the doctor. Doctor said that’s because Clive has only few words left in his memory.. very few words in finger counts. And chicken is one among them. Listening to this, I could not control my tears.
Few days later, Clive was moved to the hospital’s care home. It became the permanent residence for Clive. I had moved all his necessary things including his piano to the care home. Few days later I held a piece of sheet music in front of him. His eyes lighted up looking at that. His expression on face said that he could recognize the music notes. I helped him walk to the piano. He could play piano!! The doctor there explained it as “music is part of Clive’s procedural memory. Its like walking or riding a bicycle”. He only could read music; he was unable to read news papers and books.
I had accepted the fact that Clive's illness is incurable. I quit my job and founded the Amnesia Association in 1986. I even started to work in an arts center to pay my bills. Eventually I had to sell the apartment where me and Clive once lived. Once doctor told me Clive was suffering from a condition called perseveration, which makes him to repeat certain behaviors endlessly. Clive used to repeat the same phrases endlessly while he was talking to me. All I could do was weep in front of him looking at his behavior. Doctors said Clive has reached such a situation where he can no more store the new information in his memory. His memory had become as short as 7 seconds!! He could not remember anything that has happened to him before the last 7 seconds. He would accept if somebody introduces him self as Prime Minister! Such was Clive's memory. In spite of all this, some how Clive was recognizing me every time I meet him. I really don't know whether I would be living or dead if Clive had refused to recognize me. The only hope that I was living with was that some day some miracle would give me back my Clive, the same loving husband of mine. How beautiful life would be to have our children running in the garden and me listening to piano while Clive plays some of his favorite compositions. But may be I was too optimistic to hope for such a miracle to happen.
(to be contd...)
Hmmmm...... The writing has come out really well.... good narration.... I didnt know abt this story.... hope the ending is not tragic.....
You have good stlye of narration
[to Vichitra] Thx for complementing this chunk of the series, which i too considered as the most touching one among the four