Much like Drew Barrymore’s character in 50 First Dates, Michelle Philpots’s memories are wiped clean every day due to injuries she sustained in the past. Each morning, Michelle, who hails from Spalding in Lincolnshire, England, wakes up thinking John Major is still prime minister and Forrest Gump is the latest movie everyone’s buzzing about. Her husband, Ian, also has to remind her that they’re married on daily basis. That’s because Michelle can only recall what happened to her up until 1994 (the couple tied the knot in ‘97). 

Michelle’s condition, known as anterograde amnesia, came about as a result of two accidents: a motorcycle crash in 1985, and a car accident in 1990. She suffered brain injuries on both occasions. Michelle eventually developed epilepsy as a result of the trauma, and started to deteriorate rapidly from there, leading to frequent seizures and bouts of forgetfulness. She later lost her office job after repeatedly copying the same document during a work shift.

The Real-Life ‘50 First Dates’ Story of a Woman Whose Memory Resets Every Day

A brain procedure in 2005 helped clear up the seizures for the most part, but Michelle’s memory issues persist to this day. Anything she does and anybody she meets has to be logged for future reference. Post-it notes, in particular, have proven very useful for keeping Michelle up to date on things. And if ever she has to venture out of town, she makes sure to have the GPS programmed with her home address.

Luckily, though, Michelle has her own Adam Sandler in the form of her husband, Ian, who met her before she had the accidents. “It can be very frustrating for me, but I have to be patient and understand,” Ian told The Daily Mail in 2010. “I have to keep calm because I love her,” he continued. On another positive note, Michelle said her condition does have its benefits: For one, she never has to worry about catching a repeat on TV, and on top of that, every joke gets a laugh out of her because she’s always hearing it for the first time.