I got 10 letters, he says. Plus snapshots of people he worked with or knew socially. None of the words or images jogged loose a single scrap of recollection. I know there are things I ve done and people I know that I just can t remember. That gets to be annoying sometimes, he says, an edge of frustration in the voice.
Family gatherings are particularly difficult.
I just sit there with my mouth shut. I m not going to talk to them about what I did when I was 10 years old. Strangely, amnesia triggered a change in Henry s food preferences. He d never go into an Italian restaurant because he couldn t stand the smell of cheese, says Millie. Now he eats parmigiana and all Italian food without any problem.