‘I don’t know who you are, but I know I love you.’ The mother of my son has no clue who I am.’: Father realizes he’d be raising his son ‘alone’ after wife suffers strokes that erased her memory

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“When I first met my wife, it was love at first sight. Looking back on that night brings back great memories for myself but for my wife those memories are gone.

7 years ago, my wife and I were expecting our first child. It was a very exciting time in both our lives. The unknown expectations and anxiety in becoming a parent were in full effect. It was 7 months in, and she was starting to have complications that hit her like a ton of bricks.  A quick trip to the hospital turned into an absolute nightmare for us.

We found out she had preeclampsia but by then it was too late. She had gone eclamptic and suffered a grand-mal seizure. After an emergency c-section our beautiful baby boy ‘Gavin’ was born at 4lbs 1oz. He was healthy and we were blessed beyond belief that he was ok. Unfortunately for Camre though she ended up having a stroke and lost oxygen to her brain.

Courtesy Steve Curto

The moment the doctor told me ‘Steve this is not easy to say but Camre suffered a severe brain injury and it happened to be located on her memory lobes. Only time will tell but as for now she has lost all her memories long and short.’ At this exact moment I realized the love of my life and the mother of my son has no clue who I am or our child. I was completely devastated at the time. How could this be she was ok just a few hours ago. I also soon realized that I was going to be raising our son alone.

I made a promise to her at her bedside the next day that I would never give up on her or our family.  And so, our journey began. It took 25 days until she could leave the hospital and 35 until our son could leave. She was clueless to who were but seemed to trust me and that made It easier to keep moving forward. In fact, she told me ‘I don’t know who you are, but I know I love you.’ And those are the words that have always motivated me to this day!

Courtesy Steve Curto

Our first year as new parents was obviously challenging but we made the best of our situation. It took patience and hard work but everyday got better. It took roughly 1 year to just remember mine and Gavin’s name but when she did it was awesome! We had positive things happening and were heading in the right direction in our new life.

Then one day a year or so later Camre had another Grand-mal seizure and then another one and so on and so on. Our lives were about to be challenged yet again. Cam had developed epilepsy and began taking a lot of seizure medications. In about 6 years she has had roughly 400 plus seizures.

Courtesy Steve Curto

The medication was only working for a short period of time then and they would switch it and try something else. I would honestly never wish epilepsy on my worst enemy. It’s tough watching someone you love to go through absolute hell. We have been fighting her battle with epilepsy for 6 years now and it has been one of the hardest things to go through. In fact, just a few days ago she underwent brain surgery to places electrodes on her brain so they can locate and monitor her seizures.

Courtesy Steve Curto

We haven’t done this alone though. Camre and I have always put our faith and trust in GOD. We have always stayed hopeful for better days ahead. Our family’s motto has been to never give up and always stay positive.  We feel blessed beyond belief that we have a family that has not only survived but has thrived.”

Courtesy Steve Curto

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Steve Curto, 38, Fenton Michigan.  Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.

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