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Have you ever walked up the stairs to fetch something but forgotten what it was when you reached the top?

Or have you ever been introduced to someone at a party only for their name to completely slip out of your head within minutes of meeting them?

Well that’s the daily torment of John Mills who, after suffering oxygen starvation to the brain , can only remember things for a maximum of 10 minutes.

Without constant supervision the dad-of-two, who will turn 60 on August 9, would repeat parts of his daily routine over and over again, such as eating breakfast or washing his hair.

His memory loss is so severe that he can barely remember getting married and has no recollection of his children, Sam and Megan, being born.

(Image: Andrew James)

“We can have a rip-roaring curry and the house is smelling of it afterwards, but by the time he’s loaded the dishwasher he’s completely forgotten he’s eaten anything,” said his wife Jackie, 52, from Caerleon in Newport.

“There have been times when friends have come around and he will make an effort to join in the conversation, but will ask the same question again and again.

“One of the first things I remember after his illness was him reading the newspaper and telling me ‘Oh, Brian Clough has snuffed it’.

“About 10 minutes later he said the same thing again – and this went on and on all day.”

'His heart just decided it'd had enough'

John’s life was changed forever when he suffered a cardiac arrest at the Royal Gwent Hospital in May 2004 at the age of 47 – the day before his daughter Megan’s 11th birthday.

“He had heart problems and was under investigation at the hospital,” said Jackie.

“The doctors were trying to work out what was wrong and suddenly his heart just decided it’d had enough.

“They spent half an hour getting him going, by which time lack of oxygen had damaged the brain.

“He wasn’t expected to last the night and was unconscious that night and the next day, Megan’s birthday, but woke up the day after.

“He was very confused. He didn’t know who anybody was for a while.”

John stayed in hospital for two months and underwent physiotherapy and occupational therapy to help him walk and talk again.

His condition is called anterograde amnesia but has recently been dubbed 'Dory syndrome' in reference to a main character in the popular Disney Pixar Film 'Finding Nemo'.

Jackie became his full-time carer

“It took a while for us to realise how bad the damage to the brain was,” added Jackie.

“Doctors and nurses were on hand to check his temperature and blood pressure, but they didn’t have time to ask him what he could remember of that morning.

“I’d ask John if he’d seen the doctor and the physio and he’d say ‘no’, then I’d ask the nurses and they’d say ‘yes’. He’d seen both of them.”

Jackie, who was close to finishing a teaching degree when John became ill, was suddenly faced with the prospect of becoming John’s full-time carer.

Despite taking much of John’s condition with good humour, she admits the past 12 years have been stressful and upsetting.

(Image: Andrew James)

“I know it’s not deliberate, but sometimes the fact he can’t remember things can be incredibly hurtful,” added Jackie, who managed to finish the degree.

“My mum is going through cancer at the moment and she’s just about to start chemotherapy this week.

“I can have a conversation with my mum over the phone and it’s pretty obvious that I’m upset, but John will just completely ignore it – he’s in his own little bubble.”

She said John’s condition also had a major impact on his children Sam, 25, and Megan, 23, who were just 11 and 13 at the time.

Jackie added: “Sam, overall, did pretty well and hasn’t been affected too much psychologically, but Megan was a lot more traumatic in her teens.

“There were lots of problems with mine and Megan’s relationship, and I think that was partly down to the fact she couldn’t argue with her dad – so I got double the dose.”

The family were helped by brain injury charity Headway

After the incident the family were referred to brain injury charity Headway , based at Rookwood Hospital in Cardiff, who continue to see John once a week to work on his memory.

“Some people without oxygen for that length of time could be dead, some could be perfectly fine and some are in between,” added Jackie.

“So we are very lucky that he’s still alive and still around. He just doesn’t remember very much.

“But he has all his intelligence – and he still plays a mean game of chess. He will sit there with his sudoku puzzles and do one after another after another until he’s done about 15 or 20 in one sitting.”

Short-term memory loss is anything but funny

It is thought John, who is largely passive, emotionless and does not speak unless spoken to, will never regain his memory.

One film which centres around amnesia is Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory , a sequel to the film Finding Nemo.

It involves is a wide-eyed, blue tang fish called Dory who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or so.

But the reality of life without short-term memory is anything but funny, says the charity Headway which has helped to care for John and give Jackie much-needed respite.

Luke Griggs, spokesperson for the brain injury charity, said: “The portrayal of brain injury in the media, particularly in films or cartoons, is invariably and perhaps understandably inaccurate.

“The true impact of brain injury and the effects it can have on individuals and families alike would not [in reality] provide much in the way of light-hearted material.”