Husband writes book for wife who lost her memory during childbirth

'Everything in the book is a memory of what we've gone through and what I've missed'

A woman who suffered memory loss during childbirth has had a book written for her by her husband detailing every step of their 10-year relationship.

Seven years ago, Camre Curto gave birth to her and her husband Steve Curto’s son, Gavin.

During childbirth, Camre experienced a stroke and a seizure that resulted in her losing both her short- and long-term memory, said Jessica Smith, her occupational therapist.

Her partner, Steve, decided to write a self-published book documenting their life together to tell her the story of how they met and fell in love, including memories such as their first date, the birth of their son and their wedding.

The book, titled But I Know I Love You, was released on their fourth wedding anniversary last month.

Speaking to Good Morning America, Steve explained that Camre did not suffer any complications during her pregnancy up until her third trimester, when she began to vomit frequently.

One day when Camre was 33 weeks pregnant, she was rushed to hospital after experiencing swelling in her throat and difficulty breathing.

Once she was in the emergency room, Camre experienced a grand mal seizure.

After the baby was born via emergency C-section weighing just over four pounds, doctors determined that Camre had suffered from undiagnosed preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a combination of increased blood pressure and proteinuria (protein in urine) during pregnancy, baby charity Tommy’s states

The organisation outlines that while the majority of cases of preeclampsia are mild and may not have any impact on a pregnancy, the condition can lead to serious symptoms including severe headaches, nausea, heartburn and blurred vision.

It can also lead to the development of eclampsia, which can cause the mother to experience fits that can pose a risk to the lives of her and her baby.

When Camre’s preeclampsia developed into eclampsia, she was placed into a medically-induced coma.

Steve said that when Camre was brought out of her coma, “something wasn’t right”.

“She had no idea who she was or that she had given birth,” he stated. “She didn’t know who I was or who her parents were.”

After Camre left hospital after 30 days, she was unable to remember how to perform tasks such as brushing her teeth or getting dressed.

For the first few months after Gavin’s birth, Camre stayed at her parents’ house while the baby was being taken care of by Steve at their home.

One day when the couple was sitting together at Camre’s parents’ home, she said something to Steve that provided the inspiration for the title of his recently-released book.

“We were sitting on the couch and she told me, ‘I don’t know who you are but I know I love you’,” Steve said.

“That has always stuck with me. That has been the driving force behind everything.”

Steve said that with the help of her occupational therapist, Camre has “got her personality back”.

Camre repeatedly writes things down as a memorisation technique, and frequently experiences from epileptic seizures.

She told Good Morning America how her husband’s book has helped to teach her about their relationship together.

“Everything in the book is a memory of what we’ve gone through and what I’ve missed,” she said.

“Sometimes it’s hard for me because it shows me everything that we have ben through and that I don’t have inside of me.”