Short-term memory loss is a rare but devastating condition. It can be caused by a number of factors, from drug and alcohol abuse and head injuries to chronic medical disorders or developmental diseases; and, unfortunately, it is often incurable.
Porphyria is just one cause of short-term memory loss, and it affects about 1 in every 10,000 people. The disease is caused by high levels of porphyrins - natural chemicals which are found in the body - which leads to problems with either the skin or nervous system (though some people suffer both).
Veronika Mescheryakova, a 29-year-old woman from Russia, has acute porphyria, meaning that she experiences the more severe symptoms of the disease, with short-term memory loss being one of them.
Tragically, as a result of her illness, Mescheryakova does not remember that her husband divorced her in November last year. Every day, she waits for him to come home from work, but he never returns. As a result, it falls to her mother to break the news to her - and it never gets easier for either of them.
A local news report showed footage of the young woman breaking down in tears as she had her heart broken for what must have been the hundredth time by now. Her mother appears equally distraught about having the duty of telling her daughter that such an awful thing has happened, but there's no way to bring her memory back.
Mescheryakova married her husband before the symptoms of her illness developed, but she knew she had it before the memory loss set in. It's not clear why her spouse chose to leave but, given that Mescheryakova needs round-the-clock care, it's likely that he could not cope with the responsibility of looking after her.
She was actually given an operation a few years back in the hope that it would help alleviate some of her symptoms, but it didn't work. Now, as well as forgetting some of the most important details about her own life, Mescheryakova also suffers from partial paralysis.
However, her mother has arranged for her to have physiotherapy, and hopes that she may be able to walk independently again some day. Though porphyria can't be cured, this is certainly a possibility, as certain lifestyle changes and symptom-specific treatments can help dampen the effects of the disease.
People who saw the story online flocked in support for Mescheryakova, with many of them sharing similar stories of friends and relatives who had gone through similar experience. Those who had seen loved ones suffer from Dementia or Alzheimer's were obviously all too familiar with the effects of memory loss, but to see it happen to someone so young is simply heartbreaking.
One Facebook user even suggested that there might be a way to soften the blow for Mescheryakova: "Maybe they should tell her that she was the one who left him."
Hopefully, the young woman is able to take measures to help her live her life in a happier, more sustainable way very soon. In the meantime, we wish her and her mother all the support they can get.
.jpg_DxGeHs?tr=h-184)
