Teenage girl who developed ’50 First Dates’ amnesia is starting to regain her memory

A teenager who developed the same form of amnesia as Drew Barrymore’s character in ’50 First Dates’ slowly regains her memory after forgetting every day for nearly five years after she experienced it.

Caitlin Little, 19, was a freshman at Southeast Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, when she was accidentally hit in the head by a teammate during a field drill on October 12, 2017.

She was diagnosed with anterograde amnesia, a type of amnesia that prevents new memories from forming. For more than four years, she woke up every morning thinking it was Friday, October 13, 2017.

Caitlin’s memory started coming back earlier this year, WGHP reported, to the point that she could run a 5K race—something she could never have done if she couldn’t remember the course.

Caitlin Little was a freshman at Southeast Guilford High School in Greensboro when she was accidentally hit in the head by a teammate during a field drill on October 12, 2017.

“It feels like a miracle,” her mother, Jennifer Little, told the local station.

Caitlin was only 14 when a seemingly harmless accident changed her life forever five years ago. She was running during a field workout when one of her teammates tripped and knocked her on the right sleep.

She didn’t black out, but her mother’s concern grew when she got to their car and asked how to open the door.

Caitlin’s parents took her to the hospital in Greensboro, where doctors said she had a concussion and her memory would likely return to normal within three weeks, WGHP reported in 2019.

Anterograde amnesia is a type of amnesia that prevents new memories from forming, and for nearly five years she woke up every morning thinking it was October 13, 2017

Caitlin’s father, Chris Little, was tasked with waking her up and telling her what day it was before explaining that she was losing her memory

Caitlin and her family leave post-its in the house in an effort to refresh her memory

But like Barrymore’s character, Lucy, in the 2004 film “50 First Dates,” she had lost the ability to form new memories and couldn’t remember anything for more than 12 hours.

Anterograde amnesia can be temporary, long-term or permanent, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The condition is more likely to be long-term or permanent if there is severe damage to the memory-related parts of the brain.

Each morning her father, Chris Little, was given the task of waking her up and telling her what day it was before explaining that she had lost her memory.

‘[I have to be] very organized. So I have a lot of Post-It notes that say, “Hey, let’s do this,” or “This is new,” or things that can help me. So it’s not as hard as I would imagine it would be without them,” she explained to WGHP in 2019.

Caitlin’s parents sought the best neurology specialists they could find and took her to 70 different doctors, but no one could give them definitive answers.

‘[I have to be] very organized. So I have a lot of Post-It notes saying, “Hey, let’s do this,” or “This is new,” or things to help me,” she explained in 2019

Caitlin’s memory began to come back this year, much to the delight of her parents, who consider it a “miracle”

Caitlyn was able to run a 5K race with other college-age women last month (pictured), something she could never have done if she couldn’t remember the course

They attribute her progress to her ‘determination’, ‘good attitude’ and ‘confidence’.

Anterograde amnesia is the same type of amnesia that Drew Barrymore’s character, Lucy, has in the 2004 film ’50 First Dates’ (pictured)

“She had to trust us to keep fighting and searching,” Jennifer explained. “It’s a much harder battle if the injured person you’re trying to get out of here, if they’re not willing to do it to you, it’s almost impossible.”

Caitlin’s parents weren’t sure how to tell if her memory was coming back, but then Chris found she could relate something that had happened to two kittens when he got home from work.

“It’s not a miracle overnight, though. It’s been going on for almost five years,” he said. “Especially when you consider that most people can do something like that for about two years, and then they have no steam, no more money, no more hope.”

Looking to get back to running during her recovery, Caitlin completed a 5K race with about two dozen students last month.

“I kept praying and asking for strength and endurance,” she told the local station after the race. “It went by pretty quickly. Everyone starts a race way too fast. I made sure to maintain a pace that was comfortable for me.’