Amber Who?

Heather and I have been watching a show that simultaneously makes me cringe and laugh at the same time. It's called "Samantha Who?" about a woman who was hit by a car and after several days in a coma, woke up with retrograde amnesia. Her family and friends just can't seem to grasp the concept of what amnesia really means and keep saying things like "Well, you remember!" or "You know what this is." It really makes me thankful my family didn't have to constantly be reminded that my old life meant nothing. That I had to relearn many of the basic functions to survive in today's society, and at the same time figure out who I was.

The biggest cringe worthy moments for me are when Samantha tries to pretend she doesn't have amnesia for one reason or another. Why would she have to be ashamed of what happened to her? It's something so outside of her control that it's ridiculous, but people make her feel like it's something to brush aside and just pretend it's not real or didn't really happen. It's something I've wondered about myself, too.  Why should I have to be ashamed of what happened to me? Why should I have to hide a huge part of my life in order to move forward? I don't, and I won't.

The best part of the show is that she learns something new about her old life every episode (she wasn't a nice person, in fact downright mean) and tries to change who she is now to be a better person. She is taking something crappy that happened to her and using it to change her life for the better. I have tried and will continue to try to do the same.

I highly recommend this show for anyone who wants to understand amnesia better (and get a good laugh in the process.) It had to have been written by someone who has suffered amnesia (or knows someone who has.) The things Samantha asks herself and others are questions I have lived with for over a year. Just as one questions gets answered, another question pops up to replace it.  It's a never-ending uphill battle, but it's one that is full of surprises, where nothing is commonplace, and every day is an adventure.