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Experts say that certain memories can change over time—but what if you relived the same one every single day? For 16-year-old Riley Horner, she wakes up on June 11, 2019 every single morning.
Regular Teen
When Riley wakes up every morning, she expects the calendar to tell her it’s June 11—but when she catches a glimpse of the calendar hanging on her door, she does a double-take. “People don’t understand,” she said. “It’s like a movie.”
Riley's Reality
The 16-year-old Illinois high schooler was experiencing Groundhog Day in real life. Except, instead of reliving the same day every twenty-four hours, her memory reset after 120 minutes. For Riley, virtually no time had passed since June 11...
Big Night
Riley’s dream was to work in agricultural education. When the Future Farmers of America convention came to town, she immediately bought tickets to attend the event. She was most excited to attend the closing night dance…
Trouble in Paradise
Riley arrived at the event ready to let loose and have a little fun. She was planning to meet up with a group of friends on the dance floor. In the span of a few seconds, Riley would lose the next 4,000 hours of her life...
Lights Out
Riley was dancing on the convention center floor, scanning the area for her friends. She didn’t notice the 150-pound crowd-surfer coming straight toward her. Before she knew what was happening, the crowd surfer's foot made direct contact with her head, and she was crushed beneath the full force of his weight as he fell on top of her.
She Needed Help
Everything went dark. When Riley came to, her friends were hovering over her, shaking her awake. They carried her into their car and drove her straight to the hospital…
Fine At First
Riley felt fine. When she arrived at the emergency room, they dismissed her within a few hours, claiming she had only sustained a bump on the head. However, when Riley’s mom came to pick her up, they quickly knew something was wrong.
Dozens of Seizures
Moments after they left the parking lot, she began to convulse in the backseat. Ms. Horner watched in horror as her daughter lost control of her body, seizing over and over again. She turned the car around and sped back to the hospital…
Scared and Lost
Over the next few hours, Riley suffered 30 to 45 seizures. It became apparent that this was no ordinary concussion. When the doctors finally managed to stabilize the 16-year-old, she woke up confused as ever…
The Clock Rewinds
Riley’s mom spent some time filling her in on what had happened to her the night before. Riley couldn’t recall anything that had happened after the crowd-surfer fell on her. Then, two hours later, the clock went back once again. Riley had no idea where she was or how she got there...
Temporary Amnesia
Her mom was concerned, but doctors reassured her that Riley’s amnesia was only temporary. They said that Riley was suffering from concussion-induced short-term memory loss. This was a common side effect of traumatic brain injuries similar to Riley’s.
Not Quite
Riley’s doctors instilled some confidence in her mother. According to them, Riley’s ability to produce and retain memories would return in full after some time. Unfortunately, their assumptions were wrong…
Groundhog Day
Riley’s parents grew increasingly worried as their daughter’s memory remained stuck in time. Every morning, she woke up believing it was June 11, 2019—and every two hours, her parents had to explain to her what had happened. Slowly, the months crept by with no sign of improvement.
Searching for Answers
For five long months, Riley and her family desperately searched for answers. Every two hours, Riley’s memory was wiped clean. Her parents brought her to see countless doctors at five different hospitals across the nation…
Snow in June
When Riley’s memory reset, she recognized that something was wrong. Sometimes she would ask her mother questions, like, “Why is there snow on the ground in June?” She began to keep notes of the previous day on her phone, which soon began to accumulate in thousands.
Feeling Foggy
Riley’s case became a medical anomaly. She drifted through each day in a fog. Her surroundings seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t remember anything from 120 minutes before. For Riley, each new day was an overwhelming nightmare. Luckily, it wouldn’t stay that way...
Medical Mystery
Specialist after specialist came up empty-handed when begged for a diagnosis. One doctor looked Mrs. Horner right in the face and said, “I have no idea what’s wrong with her.” All the while, Riley’s life was continuing on without her...
Scared of the Future
Riley’s mother was terrified that her daughter would be stuck as a 16-year-old for the rest of her life. “She couldn’t get a job, she couldn't be on her own, she probably couldn’t have a boyfriend, a husband, she couldn’t have kids… at that point, I just see her future is done,” she said. Fortunately, things for Riley would soon begin to look up...
Four Months Later
Riley was growing hopeless. She was convinced that she would never be the same or regain her memory. Finally, on the four-month anniversary of the incident, everything changed.
Light in the Darkness
After four months as a medical mystery, Riley’s story gained traction in the media and went viral. The Horners received one message that stood out from the rest. It was from a doctor in Provo, Utah…
No Backup Plan
“We’ve been to all of these doctors in two different states, now we have somebody out in Utah? That says they can fix her?” Riley’s mother said. Still, the family was running out of options. They flew to the post-concussion treatment center to see Dr. Mark Allen…
Miracle in the Mountains
Dr. Allen was a clinical neuroscientist at Cognitive FX. Soon, Mrs. Horner would begin to refer to it as the “miracle in the mountains.” Dr. Allen was convinced that he knew exactly what was wrong with Riley.
The Diagnosis
“It’s just basic science applied properly,” said Allen. One brain scan revealed everything they were looking for. Riley’s memory loss was coming from a disconnect in the way her brain cells were receiving oxygen.
Repairing the System
Allen and his team worked to “coax the system back into working order” by restoring the communication system in Riley’s brain. He claimed that while the issue itself was minor and easily resolvable, the problems it causes can seem world-ending.
Special Therapy
Riley underwent a number of targeted therapies to help rebuild the broken connection in her brain. The exercises relied on coordination, strength, and memory. They were applied in a specific sequence for a certain amount of time to assist in Riley’s cognitive rehabilitation.
A New Day
Most of the time, patients would engage in these exercises for one week, but Riley’s case called for two full weeks of therapy. Finally, on day 154, Riley reached a turning point—she was able to recall a new memory for the first time in months.
Her First New Memory
“We are in Utah,” Riley’s mother asked her when she woke up. “Do you know why?” Riley explained that she knew where she was; they were at Cognitive FX seeing a doctor. Her mother was overcome with joy.
Learning to Live Again
Every day, Riley grew stronger. “She’s getting fixed, it’s working. Whatever they’re doing, it’s working!” Ms. Horner said. By the end of the first week, Riley could retain a handful of food-related memories. A few days later, she could remember almost everything. Finally, life was beginning to return to normal…
Giving Back
“I mean I just really thought this was going to be my life forever,” Riley said. “It makes me feel better that it’s going to be over and we’ll get back to our lives and it’ll be just something to laugh about." Riley was determined to repay Cognitive FX somehow—and her experience has inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.
Riley’s Recovery
Riley wants to be a neuroscientist in order to help others like the doctors at Cognitive FX helped her. In fact, the team already offered her a job. Even if Riley never fully recovers, her time at Cognitive FX has given her new hope for life. “They’re not going to give up on me,” she said, “so I’m not going to give up on them.”