By . Emma Innes . A teenager who developed a rare brain condition and forgot the first 16 years of her life following a seizure has been forced to piece her childhood together using family photos. When Rosie Paley, 19, woke up in hospital every memory of her childhood were gone and she didn't even recognise two young brothers and mother. The teenager, from Brierley Hill, West Midlands, was 16 when she developed encephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain. Rosie Paley, 19, forgot the first 16 years of her life and didn't recognise her own mother after having a fit . In a matter of hours she lost memories of every milestone from her childhood, and even forgot her favourite foods, bands and the fact she knew how to ride a horse. It has now taken her three years to piece her childhood memories back together, and she has relied on photographs, stories and childhood toys for help. Rosie said: ‘When I look back at pictures I can see I had an amazing childhood. I just wish I had memories to go with the pictures.’ With the support of her family, Rosie can now recognise her mother Helen, 36, and her brothers Rhys, four, Ollie, two, but she has lost her childhood friends, as she can’t remember any of them. Rosie said: ‘I’ve lost all my childhood friends as I can’t recognise them or reminisce about old times and so it’s hard to be around them as they knew the old me before the memory loss. ‘But for me, life is now about making new memories. I’m having to start from the beginning.’ Rosie developed encephalitis - swelling of the brain - which was caused by an infection, when she was 16 . She had a fit and fell down some stairs so was rushed to hospital and when she woke up she couldn't remember her childhood. She is now using pictures to help herself piece together her younger years . Rosie had been out for the day in with her boyfriend in August 2011 when she suddenly collapsed. She managed to get home and was put to bed, but had another seizure and fell down the stairs. Medics were left baffled by the 16-year-old’s behaviour, as she hadn’t shown any symptoms before. Encephalitis is an uncommon but serious condition that causes inflammation of the brain. It usually begins with flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature and a headache. More serious symptoms can then develop. These include confusion, disorientation, seizures and changes in personality. There are several different types of encephalitis that have different causes. The most common are caused by infections or an autoimmune reaction. The illness requires urgent treatment - usually in an intensive care unit and about 10 per cent of cases are fatal. Some people make a full recovery but many experience permanent brain damage. This can cause complications such as memory loss, epilepsy, personality changes and fatigue. Source: NHS Choices . Rosie said: ‘When I first came round, mum brought my two younger brothers to see me. I had no idea who they were and I panicked. ‘My mum had to introduce them to me. I found it really difficult, but they took it in their stride. ‘Getting to know them again has been great though - Rhys loves telling me tales about all the things we have done together that I can’t remember. The teenager had just finished her GCSEs and attended her school prom when she lost her memory- two events in her life she has no recollection of. But she is determined to stay positive and is training to be a hairdresser, despite still struggling with her short-term memory. Rosie said: ‘I have had to change every aspect of my life now because I don’t know what I was like before.’ As a child Rosie was a big fan of the band Steps, and her mother took her to a Steps concert to try and jog her memory - but Rosie couldn’t remember any of her favourite songs. Her encephalitis was caused by the herpes simplex virus - the same bug responsible for cold sores and chicken pox - but doctors were baffled as she showed no symptoms prior to suffering a seizure. Normally, patients develop flu like symptoms before suffering a seizure. Medics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, were forced to sedate Rosie because her seizure was so bad, but when she eventually came around her memories were gone. Rosie (pictured with her mother, Helen, and brothers, Ollie and Rhys) still doesn't remember her childhood . Rosie's mother, Helen, is trying to help her trigger memories that she has forgotten . Her mother said: ‘Rosie woke up and looked at me with a blank expression and said: “Who are you?” I was heartbroken and terrified.’ She added: ‘I thought she would never remember me. ‘Luckily after a few hours she began to recognise me and even asked for her favourite childhood teddy bear, Baa lamb, which is still the only thing she remembers. ‘I tried to surround her with family and things that she might remember but she didn’t even recognise her two younger brothers. ‘We even took her to a Steps concert, as they were her favourite band, but she couldn’t recognise any of the songs.’ In an attempt to jog her memory, Rosie has surrounded herself with old pictures, creating a wall of photographs in her bedroom. Rosie (pictured with her brothers) also has short-term memory problems now . Rosie (pictured as a baby) now has to write herself detailed instructions of how to carry out everyday tasks as she is unable to remember how to do them . She said: ‘When I looked at the pictures I could see how happy I was at the time but it just draws a blank in my head as I can’t think of the actual event or how I was feeling at the time. ‘Most people my age look back at high school as the best years of their life but I can’t do that, I can just look at the pictures and imagine what it must have been like.’ The teenager, who also now suffers with short term memory loss, has to write down instructions for her bus journey to work as well as reminders to help her complete everyday tasks. Rosie said: ‘I panic if I’m late and I have had to call my mum sometimes because I forget to get off at my stop and ended up at the last stop with no idea where I am. ‘It’s really stressful but as long as I have a routine I can handle it all. ‘Hairdressing is great because it’s repetitive and so I can keep practicing until I learn things and remember them. Despite her memory problems, Rosie is currently training to be a hair dresser. She is pictured in hospital with her baby brother who was born just a few weeks before she fell ill . Rosie (pictured as a child) says hairdressing suits her as it is repetitive so she is able to keep doing things until she remembers them . Her mother said: ‘I try and encourage Rosie to not rely on technology and just to get in the habit of repeating things until they are really clear for her. ‘We have a laugh about it and Rosie just refers to herself as a little bit ditzy rather than someone with a memory problem.’ Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society, said 4,000 new cases of the condition are identified every year in the UK. She said: ‘The causes include infection, and the immune system going rogue and attacking healthy tissue. ‘It is the herpes simplex that is most likely to attack the parts of the brain responsible for memory. ‘Of those people who survive encephalitis - the mortality rate is 80 per cent without swift treatment - seven out of ten respond to the anti-viral drug Aciclovor, ideally if it is given with 24 or 48 hours. ‘However, those whose memory has been attacked are unlikely to recover in that respect, although what sufferers can develop is better ways of coping with their condition.’
Rosie Paley, now 19, collapsed after a day out with her boyfriend in 2011 .
Was put to bed, but then had a seizure and was rushed to hospital .
She was diagnosed with encephalitis which is inflammation of the brain .
When she woke up, she didn't know who her mother and brothers were .
She's now spent three years piecing together her childhood using photos .
She says: 'I just wish I had memories to go with the pictures’
Rosie still doesn't remember anything from before the illness .
She also has short-term memory problems as well .
By . Emma Innes . A teenager who developed a rare brain condition and forgot the first 16 years of her life following a seizure has been forced to piece her childhood together using family photos. When Rosie Paley, 19, woke up in hospital every memory of her childhood were gone and she didn't even recognise two young brothers and mother. The teenager, from Brierley Hill, West Midlands, was 16 when she developed encephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain. Rosie Paley, 19, forgot the first 16 years of her life and didn't recognise her own mother after having a fit . In a matter of hours she lost memories of every milestone from her childhood, and even forgot her favourite foods, bands and the fact she knew how to ride a horse. It has now taken her three years to piece her childhood memories back together, and she has relied on photographs, stories and childhood toys for help. Rosie said: ‘When I look back at pictures I can see I had an amazing childhood. I just wish I had memories to go with the pictures.’ With the support of her family, Rosie can now recognise her mother Helen, 36, and her brothers Rhys, four, Ollie, two, but she has lost her childhood friends, as she can’t remember any of them. Rosie said: ‘I’ve lost all my childhood friends as I can’t recognise them or reminisce about old times and so it’s hard to be around them as they knew the old me before the memory loss. ‘But for me, life is now about making new memories. I’m having to start from the beginning.’ Rosie developed encephalitis - swelling of the brain - which was caused by an infection, when she was 16 . She had a fit and fell down some stairs so was rushed to hospital and when she woke up she couldn't remember her childhood. She is now using pictures to help herself piece together her younger years . Rosie had been out for the day in with her boyfriend in August 2011 when she suddenly collapsed. She managed to get home and was put to bed, but had another seizure and fell down the stairs. Medics were left baffled by the 16-year-old’s behaviour, as she hadn’t shown any symptoms before. Encephalitis is an uncommon but serious condition that causes inflammation of the brain. It usually begins with flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature and a headache. More serious symptoms can then develop. These include confusion, disorientation, seizures and changes in personality. There are several different types of encephalitis that have different causes. The most common are caused by infections or an autoimmune reaction. The illness requires urgent treatment - usually in an intensive care unit and about 10 per cent of cases are fatal. Some people make a full recovery but many experience permanent brain damage. This can cause complications such as memory loss, epilepsy, personality changes and fatigue. Source: NHS Choices . Rosie said: ‘When I first came round, mum brought my two younger brothers to see me. I had no idea who they were and I panicked. ‘My mum had to introduce them to me. I found it really difficult, but they took it in their stride. ‘Getting to know them again has been great though - Rhys loves telling me tales about all the things we have done together that I can’t remember. The teenager had just finished her GCSEs and attended her school prom when she lost her memory- two events in her life she has no recollection of. But she is determined to stay positive and is training to be a hairdresser, despite still struggling with her short-term memory. Rosie said: ‘I have had to change every aspect of my life now because I don’t know what I was like before.’ As a child Rosie was a big fan of the band Steps, and her mother took her to a Steps concert to try and jog her memory - but Rosie couldn’t remember any of her favourite songs. Her encephalitis was caused by the herpes simplex virus - the same bug responsible for cold sores and chicken pox - but doctors were baffled as she showed no symptoms prior to suffering a seizure. Normally, patients develop flu like symptoms before suffering a seizure. Medics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, were forced to sedate Rosie because her seizure was so bad, but when she eventually came around her memories were gone. Rosie (pictured with her mother, Helen, and brothers, Ollie and Rhys) still doesn't remember her childhood . Rosie's mother, Helen, is trying to help her trigger memories that she has forgotten . Her mother said: ‘Rosie woke up and looked at me with a blank expression and said: “Who are you?” I was heartbroken and terrified.’ She added: ‘I thought she would never remember me. ‘Luckily after a few hours she began to recognise me and even asked for her favourite childhood teddy bear, Baa lamb, which is still the only thing she remembers. ‘I tried to surround her with family and things that she might remember but she didn’t even recognise her two younger brothers. ‘We even took her to a Steps concert, as they were her favourite band, but she couldn’t recognise any of the songs.’ In an attempt to jog her memory, Rosie has surrounded herself with old pictures, creating a wall of photographs in her bedroom. Rosie (pictured with her brothers) also has short-term memory problems now . Rosie (pictured as a baby) now has to write herself detailed instructions of how to carry out everyday tasks as she is unable to remember how to do them . She said: ‘When I looked at the pictures I could see how happy I was at the time but it just draws a blank in my head as I can’t think of the actual event or how I was feeling at the time. ‘Most people my age look back at high school as the best years of their life but I can’t do that, I can just look at the pictures and imagine what it must have been like.’ The teenager, who also now suffers with short term memory loss, has to write down instructions for her bus journey to work as well as reminders to help her complete everyday tasks. Rosie said: ‘I panic if I’m late and I have had to call my mum sometimes because I forget to get off at my stop and ended up at the last stop with no idea where I am. ‘It’s really stressful but as long as I have a routine I can handle it all. ‘Hairdressing is great because it’s repetitive and so I can keep practicing until I learn things and remember them. Despite her memory problems, Rosie is currently training to be a hair dresser. She is pictured in hospital with her baby brother who was born just a few weeks before she fell ill . Rosie (pictured as a child) says hairdressing suits her as it is repetitive so she is able to keep doing things until she remembers them . Her mother said: ‘I try and encourage Rosie to not rely on technology and just to get in the habit of repeating things until they are really clear for her. ‘We have a laugh about it and Rosie just refers to herself as a little bit ditzy rather than someone with a memory problem.’ Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society, said 4,000 new cases of the condition are identified every year in the UK. She said: ‘The causes include infection, and the immune system going rogue and attacking healthy tissue. ‘It is the herpes simplex that is most likely to attack the parts of the brain responsible for memory. ‘Of those people who survive encephalitis - the mortality rate is 80 per cent without swift treatment - seven out of ten respond to the anti-viral drug Aciclovor, ideally if it is given with 24 or 48 hours. ‘However, those whose memory has been attacked are unlikely to recover in that respect, although what sufferers can develop is better ways of coping with their condition.’
memory of her childhood were gone and she didn't 16 when she developed encephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain. Rosie Paley, 19, childhood. I just wish I had memories to go with fell down some stairs so was rushed to hospital and when she woke up she couldn't remember her childhood. She is now using pictures to help herself piece together her younger years . Rosie had been out for the day in with her boyfriend in managed to get home and was put to bed, but had were gone. Rosie (pictured with her mother, doesn't remember her childhood . Rosie's mother, (pictured with her brothers) also has short-term memory problems now . Rosie (pictured as a baby)