Gary Rogers suffered a heart attack on holiday with his family last year and woke from a coma thinking it was 1994. He didn’t even recognise his daughters – Olivia, 18, and Lilly, 15 – and believed he’d split from wife of 25 years, Linda. The 43-year-old’s short-term memory was so bad he couldn’t remember what had happened hours before. But after months of hard work and help from his family, Mr Rogers has a much-improved memory and is looking forward to the first Christmas he will fully remember since 1994.
Mrs Rogers, who is a full-time carer for her husband, said: ‘Last year, Gary was crying in the run-up to Christmas because he knew he used to love our celebrations but couldn’t remember much about them.
‘He knew he’d struggle to remember the day once it had passed. We took loads of family photos to document the whole day but by Boxing Day, Gary couldn’t remember anything.’ Mr Rogers, from Basildon, Essex, fell ill during a family holiday to Turkey in 2010 and was taken to hospital where he was put in a medically induced coma. He remained in intensive care until he was well enough to be flown home to the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, where doctors woke him from his coma in September last year. Mr Rogers said: ‘I am hoping to remember this Christmas. ‘I will be with my beautiful girls and loving, caring wife.
Metro