63‑year-old Italian's memory reset: Stuck in 1980 after coma
A 63-year-old resident of Italy fell into a brief coma after a traffic accident; upon waking, he was unable to remember the last 40 years. The man did not recognise his wife and children and was convinced he was still 24 years old.
Luciano D'Adamo's story sounds like the plot of one of Robert Zemeckis's films. After the 63-year-old man was involved in a car accident in 2019 and fell into a coma, 40 years of his life were "erased" from his memory.
Upon waking, he did not recognise his family members, and he also believed it was still the year 1980. Consequently, the man forgot all the technological advancements that were part of his previous life.
Now, the Italian newspaper "Il Messaggero" has reminded us of the man's story. According to the account published there, upon waking, the man wanted to contact his mother instead of his wife, not remembering that she had already passed away, and he himself was over sixty.
He did not know how to use a mobile phone, was convinced that his fiancée was 19 years old, and was astonished by the sight of his wife and adult son. It turned out that the last day the man remembers is 20 March 1980.
I was 24 years old, working in Fiumicino at the time as airport ground staff. When I finished, I returned to Rome, living in Monte Mario. I came home, then went out again—Luciano recounted to the Italian press.
The man was unable to regain his memory. He is still working on it under the supervision of neurologists and the support of his family. He is currently 68 years old and works as an equipment maintenance technician at a school.
