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Oct 23, 2011

"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards." --Lewis Carroll

A College Degree 23 yrs After Memory Loss

A freak accident involving a ceiling fan may have taken Su Meck's memory of everything that happened for the first 22 years of her life, but it did not rob her of her determination. Since the accident that left her with amnesia, the 45-year-old from Maryland, has had to relearn how to walk, talk, read, write and drive. But Meck, whose identity was once as a mother and homemaker, carved out a place for herself as a college student. She went from having been reduced to the mental capacity of a young child to graduating from Montgomery (Md.) College with honors in May, earning an associate degree. "It was very confusing to me because everybody was telling me who I was before, and that wasn't who I am now. It was almost like I'm a different person," said Meck.