All of us are dependent on calendars, reminders, memorable photos, and google search bars, except a handful of people in the world, one of them is Brad Williams, who remembers EVERYTHING!
How fascinating does the idea of not forgetting anything sound? One read of the syllabus and A+ in the exam!
The majority of us don’t even remember what we had in our last meal, which is how mortal humans have been designed. Forgetting unnecessary information is not harmful, but remembering each and every detail can be overwhelming. Overwhelming or not, it is surely quite unique!
Brad Williams, resident of Wisconsin is the personification of Google!
‘I was sort of a human Google for my family. I’ve always been able to recall things. If you throw any date at me, I can tell you what happened.’
Born in October of 1956, Brad lived a normal life, unaware of his flawless memory until he could once link a date with memory on his fourth birthday. He thought it was normal to remember things everyone does.
He said:
‘I would visualize a calendar of that year and literally check it in my mind’s eye. I was considered smart.’
Later in his life, after a series of imaging studies, including MRI, he was diagnosed with a condition called highly superior autobiographical memory syndrome (HSAMS) or hyperthymesia. This condition is characterized by the astounding ability to remember the minute details of daily living, including past events.
‘I can pick a date from the past 53 years and know instantly where I was, what happened in the news and even the day of the week,’ said Brad.
There are only a bunch of people who have been reported and diagnosed with this condition: Brad Willians, Bob Petrella, and Jill Price are one of them. Bob can accurately remember the dates on which he meets people, and Jill remembers all the episodes of any TV show she has ever watched, including the exact day she watched and the weather that day!
Isn’t it overwhelming to remember all the events, especially the bad and sad memories?
‘I never feel overwhelmed with the amount of information my brain absorbs. My mind seems to be able to cope, and the information is stored away neatly. When I think of a sad memory, I do what everybody does – try to put it to one side. I don’t think it’s harder for me just because my memory is clearer.’
The ability to remember every detail doesn’t mean he never loses his keys; he does. He said:
‘The difference with me is I can remember the date I lost them.’
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/02/remember-every-day-of-life
