Follow us: hu Improving life after brain injury Need to talk? 0808 800 2244 Donate Home About brain injury Individuals Brain injury and me Jackie and John Mills Share your story Share your story with us to help others affected by brain injury Jackie and John Mills A different dad with a ten-minute memory For John Mills, of Caerleon in Newport, suffering a cardiac arrest at the Royal Gwent Hospital while undergoing treatment for heart problems in May 2004 meant sustaining a hypoxic brain injury that left the dad-of-two with severe memory problems. After remaining in a coma for two days, John, aged 47 at the time of his injury, spent the next two months in hospital undergoing physiotherapy and occupational therapy to help him relearn how to walk and talk after brain injury. And yet, it was the more sinister hidden effects of brain injury that would go on to cause daily problems for John and his wife, Jackie. It soon became apparent that John was suffering from anterograde amnesia, a condition that prevents him from forming new memories. Struggles to create new memories Although long-term memories remain intact, to this day John cannot remember the immediate past meaning that, while he often enjoys events at the time, he cannot recall events and conversations that occurred just minutes earlier. Jackie Mills, who has now become John's full-time carer, said her husband continues to require round-the-clock supervision. "John struggles to create new memories," said Jackie. "The condition, brought on by his brain injury, means that my husband does not speak unless spoken to first and pays little attention to what is going on around him. “We went to St Fagans to celebrate John's 60th birthday on 9 August last year. It was a lovely day but, for John, it is completely forgotten about now. The way we see things is that it’s all about quality of life – he enjoyed it at the time and that's what matters. “Our daily routine starts with me waking up John with coffee and his tablets and putting out clean clothes for him. I need to make sure he has a shower and a shave before breakfast. John's always enjoyed walking, so one of his daily jobs is to take the dogs out for a walk. "Depending on what I am doing, we may have a support worker come round, and they often take him out on the bus to give me some respite. In the evening, I get his dinner ready before bed.” The couple’s daughters, Sam and Megan, now 25 and 23, were just 13 and 11 when their dad sustained his brain injury. Retained his pre-injury general knowledge Jackie added: “Our children were forced to get used to having a different dad with a ten-minute memory. John isn’t totally sure how old the kids are but he knows they’ve been to university so he’s got a rough idea. But he hasn’t a clue who some of the wider family such as nieces and nephews are.” The couple now receive weekly support from Headway Cardiff, and Jackie cited sudoku puzzles among her husband’s favourite pastimes, saying: "John would do puzzles all day, given the chance, or watch quiz shows as he still retains all the general knowledge he had before he developed the condition. He can still play chess better than anyone – he just can’t remember playing." In the news Watch Jackie and John's story on the Wales Online website The couple speak to the Daily Mirror following the release of Finding Dory Photograph courtesy of Wales Online Back to stories index Caring If you are caring for someone with a brain injury or have a relative being treated in hospital, this section will help you to meet the challenges ahead and find the support you need. Find out more Memory problems Memory is easily affected by brain injury because there are several structures within the brain that are involved in memory, and injury to any of these parts can impair memory performance. Find out more Donate Find out more Friends of Headway Individual membership Join/Renew Contact Us t: 0115 924 0800 e: enquiries@headway.org.uk Help us improve life after brain injury. Donate Improving life after brain injury 0808 800 2244 Call our free helpline 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. Or email helpline@headway.org.uk Join our online Community 27k Likes 25k Followers 3k Subscribers Privacy policy Cookies Terms & Conditions Accessibility Contact Us Resource centre Find a Headway Approved care providers Charity shops Fundraising comments, feedback and complaints Vacancies Join our mailing list Headway - the brain injury association is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity no. 1025852) and the Office of the Scottish Regulator (Charity no. SC 039992). Headway is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no. 2346893. © Copyright Headway 2021 - Site designed and developed by MEDIAmaker By clicking 'Accept All Cookies’ you agree to the storing of cookies on your device. This will help us to offer the best possible experience and develop more of the information you need. Accept All Cookies Cookies Settings