Like a Fish.

I'm like a fish. I am able to remember things like a fish is able to remember things. I'm like "Dory" from that "Pixar" movie. I don't go up to people and say, "Hello, my name is Dory, and I suffer from short-term memory loss," though. That's a bit obnoxious. Since I was at a young age, my parents figured out I was unable to remember many things. I was unable to remember where my room was, or where I put my action figure down to grab their shield. My parents would have to put it right in front of my face for me to find it. But by the time they did, I had forgotten what I was playing. And even if I ever did, there were still big holes that I couldn't remember what happened.

It was like a dream for normal people. You see it, tell yourself about it, but by the end of the day, you can only remember one part. Except for me, it was about all the normal things to do. I was able to figure some things out without memory. Like brushing your teeth or eating. But other things like what my dad did to work or why I could only be in a few rooms were not easy. My parents took me to a neurologist once. They said it was because I was born when my mom should have stopped having children. But she wanted a child so badly, she went ahead and had me. What a mistake she made. But the good news was that after around ten years, I could start to remember things. I was able to remember some things I couldn't before. The neurologist said it was because my brain was developing.

For example, I figured out my dad was a bank accountant. I didn't leave the house very often or go to school because of my memory. Suddenly, I started figuring things out more and more. Unfortunately, that did not mean that I was able to figure out everything or remember things that had happened recently, like a week ago. Just things that I had been told when I was very young. When I was around the age of three. My mother was impressed. I started to be able to leave the house with her a bit more. My brain was developing, and with it so was my memory. I was at long last able to remember things that had happened. And in full detail. No one could remember any of these tiny details I could. I started to talk, walk, and use the bathroom, all by myself.

When I was eleven, my vocabulary was much more enriched. But all these memories had happened in the past. Which made them so hard to think about. For a normal kid, you would have completely forgotten all these memories. Maybe a couple of them would be remembered. But very few. And I had every single one like they had happened yesterday. So when I told my mom about some of these things, she nodded, telling me when it actually happened. She started making notes of important things that happened throughout the day. That way when I was older, I would be able to tell her about what happened and she would be able to recall them. She started to not be able to recall all of them because they happened around seven years ago.

But she learned how to keep up. I was still unable to run my own full life. I couldn't go to school still. I was barely able to brush my teeth after I recalled when I was four and watched a cartoon on the television. It was Mickey Mouse who was brushing his teeth. He sang a whole song about this. I couldn't go to school. I would open my notebook, hear what the teacher said, wonder how to write it, and then I would forget what they said. But I started to make friends with our next-door neighbor. He wrote down everything that had happened. Then the next day he would tell us what we talked about yesterday. But once the summer was over and he was back in school, we were a bit more distant.

My life has been odd. And I don't know how to deal with it. Many people do not. Luckily, we were able to find out how there are so many people who are willing to be patient with me. My parents are so supportive of me, especially my mother. I love my parents so much. Even though I have short-term memory loss, I am able to remember big stuff. Like how much I love my parents and my best friend who lives next door. Life will be hard for me. Everyone knows it. But one day, I will be able to live happily. I will remember everything. I will be as close to normal as I can ever wish. One day, I will lead a happy life. Of course, I cannot leave my parents. I probably never will.

There are so many people out there who care for me and my journey. My parents knew from a young age that the world will never be good to me. Because of my memory, I cannot be normal. That I will not be able to go to school, live by myself, get married or start a family. It's worse than being deaf or blind. If you are one of the two, you can go to specialized schools. But for me, even in specialized schools, you cannot make it. You are unable to leave the house, I am only able to make friends with the next-door neighbors through the enclosed fence in my backyard. I just recently made my first friend. I'm twelve years old. I feel so alone. I cannot be attached to my parents forever, but it will have to be. My next-door neighbor will not be here forever. My life will be hard. But I am going to try harder.