[ APPLAUSE ] >>> AND NOW, TO THE STORY OF ONE INCREDIBLE COUPLE AND THE POWER OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. IN 2011, ADAM GONZALES WAS ATTACKED AND LEFT FOR DEAD. HE SURVIVED BUT SUFFERED A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. AFTER WEEKS IN A COMA, ADAM WOKE UP WITH ZERO RECOLLECTION OF WHO HE WAS. HE LATER MANAGED TO REBUILD HIS LIFE AND MOVE TO ARIZONA, WHICH IS WHERE HE MET RAQUEL AND FELL IN LOVE. THE TWO WERE MARRIED, HAPPILY, UNTIL ONE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED. WATCH. >> I REMEMBER MEETING RAQUEL FOR THE FIRST TIME. I WAS EXTREMELY LATE. I WAS ABOUT AN HOUR LATE BECAUSE I WENT TO THE WRONG LOCATION. WHEN I WALKED IN, I SEE THIS GORGEOUS WOMAN SITTING THERE. AND I WAS JUST TAKEN, FROM THE MOMENT THAT I SAW HER. AND WE SAT DOWN. AND WHEN WE JUST STARTED TALKING, WE JUST REALLY GOT LOST IN CONVERSATION. SO LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING IN THERE. >> WE MET DECEMBER 15th, 2012. IT WAS KIND OF A WHIRLWIND. WE MOVED IN A COUPLE MONTHS LATER. ON NEW YEAR'S EVE OF 2014, ADAM PROPOSED. AND I SAID, YES, OBVIOUSLY. AND THEN, ON JULY 7th OF 2015, WE WERE MARRIED. >> HEY, GIRL. DO YOUR THING. DO YOUR THING. STOP. >> WHEN WE ALL CAME TOGETHER, WE DID FAMILY ACTIVITIES. WE WENT TO THE PARK OR WE'D DO THINGS THAT ENGAGED ALL OF US, ALL FIVE OF US. >> SEPTEMBER 28 OF 2016 IS WHEN WE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL. I WALK INTO THE LIVING ROOM AND HE IS SITTING THERE ON THE COUCH. HE'S JUST LOOKING DAZED. HONEY, ARE YOU OKAY? HE LOOKS AT ME. IT'S ALMOST LIKE HIS EYES HAVE SHIFTED AND THERE'S NO RECOGNITION. I ASKED HIM, DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE? AND I ASKED HIM, DO YOU KNOW WHO A I AM? AND HE SAID NO. AND MY HEART JUST DROPPED. >> ADAM AND RAQUEL ARE HERE. YOU KNEW THAT ADAM HAD SUFFERED TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY YEARS EARLIER. >> YES. >> BUT HE HADN'T HAD ISSUES SINCE YOU GOT TOGETHER WITH HIM. >> HE HAD MOMENTS OF TIME WHEN HE WOULD FORGET APOINTMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IT WAS PRETTY NORMAL. I FORGET THINGS ALL THE TIME. >> TOTALLY. YOU WALK IN AND WHAT WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ONE DAY? >> HE LOOKED COMPLETELY LOST. AND HE WAS SITTING IN THE LIVING ROOM, ALL THE LIGHTS ARE ON, AND HE JUST LOOKED PUZZLED. HE WAS WEARING HIS PAJAMAS. HE NORMALLY DOESN'T SIT AROUND AT 5:00 IN THE MORNING WITH ALL THE LIGHTS ON. >> YOU START ASKING HIM QUESTIONS. LIKE WHAT QUESTIONS AND WHAT WAS HE SAYING? >> I ASKED HIM, FIRST OF ALL, ARE YOU OKAY? AND HE LOOKED AT ME LUKE I WAS THIS ALIEN. I WALKED IN WITH -- IT WASN'T A CUTE OUTFIT, AS A WIFE. I WAS WEARING THE UGLIEST PAJAMAS. MIS-MATCHED TOP. MY HAIR WAS IN A BUN. I HAD LET MYSELF GO, OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU LOOK AT OLD PICTURES. I WALK IN AND HE'S LOOKING LIKE, WHO IS THIS WOMAN? IF THIS IS -- >> HE DID NOT KNOW THIS IS HIS WIFE? >> I WALK IN AND I ASKED HIM THAT AND I SAID, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? AND HE SAID NO. THAT WAS ROUGH BECAUSE I KNEW THE POSSIBILITY OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING, AT ONE POINT, BUT I THINK I NEVER ACCEPTED IT. RIGHT? WE KNOW -- WE KNEW THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED BUT I JUST DIDN'T LIVE WITH THAT IN MY MIND. I WANTED TO JUST LIVE AND LOVE HIM AND BE HAPPY. AND SO, I ASKED HIM, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE AT? AND HE SAID NO. >> HE SAID, WHAT AM I DOING IN ARIZONA. HE WAS IN TEXAS BEFORE. SEEING THIS NOW, DO YOU REMEMBER THE EXCHANGE? >> NOT THIS, NO. >> DO YOU REMEMBER THE FEELING OF NOT KNOWING WHO RAQUEL WAS? >> NO. >> NOW, YOU DON'T. >> THOSE THREE MONTHS ARE GONE FROM HIM. HE DOESN'T REMEMBER THOSE THREE MONTHS. >> YOU'RE IN A POSITION WHERE, YOU'RE MARRIED TO THIS MAN BUT YOU'RE ON YOUR FIRST DATE AND NOT PREPARED FOR IT, IN TERMS OF FASHION OR OTHER CHOICES. WE CAN LAUGH NOW. BUT EMOTIONALLY, THAT HAD TO BE VERY HARD. >> MY WORLD STOPPED. YOUR HEAR PEOPLE SAY IN AN ACCIDENT, IT WAS ALMOST IN SLOW-MOTION. IT WAS SITTING THERE AND IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS WATCHING ABOVE US. EVERYTHING SLOWED DOWN AND I SAID, OH, MAN, THIS IS WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PREPARED FOR AND I WASN'T. >> WHERE WERE YOUR LOVE? YOUR HISTORY, YOUR MEMORIES? >> THEY WERE ALL WITH ME. I HAD TO HOLD THEM FOR HIM. AND I KNOW FACEBOOK IS A HORRIBLE THING THESE DAYS, BUT IT SAVED US. I NORMALLY -- I DIDN'T STORE ALL THOSE MEMORIES ANYWHERE. IN FACT, MONTHS BEFORE, I LOST ALL HIS PICTURES ON HIS PHONE ON GOOGLE. HE WAS SO LIVID. AND SO, THAT'S BEEN WHAT'S RECORDED IT. THEY WERE LOST FROM HIM. I HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND WIPE AND SHOW HIM, THIS IS WHERE WE WENT TO DISNEYLAND. HE WAS SO MAD ABOUT IT. >> HE COULDN'T REMEMBER THAT. >> I SEE THE PICTURES BUT IT'S NOT COOL. >> THERE CAME A POINT THAT NOT FEELING ANYTHING FOR RAQUEL, NOT [ APPLAUSE ] >>> WE'RE BACK WITH ADAM AND RAQUEL GONZALES. WE'RE HEARING HOW ADAM WOKE UP ONE DAY WITH AMNESIA, LINKED TO A PREVIOUS TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY THAT LEFT HIM WITH NO MEMORIES OF MEETING HIS WIFE OF ONE YEAR. ADAM, WAS IT TRUE AT ONE POINT YOU TOLD RAQUEL, I DON'T WANT TO BE MARRIED TO YOU ANYMORE? >> IT IS. I HAD NO EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH HER. I WAS STILL, IN MY MIND, A SINGLE, YOU KNOW, DAD. AND I WAS NOT AT ANY POINT THAT I WANTED TO BE MARRIED. SO, I WAS LIKE, LET'S JUST CALL IT QUITS. YOU'RE A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN. YOU HAVE YOUR CAREER. YOU'RE GOING TO BE JUST FINE. YOU DON'T NEED TO DEAL WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS. THIS IS A LOT FOR ANYONE TO TAKE ON. >> WHAT DID SHE SAY? >> OOH -- [ LAUGHTER ] LET'S JUST SAY, SHE'S A GOOD MATCH FOR ME. SHE'S LIKE, NO. I MADE A VOW TO YOU. AND THROUGH SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH. AND I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. AND WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS. [ APPLAUSE ] >> I LOVE THAT. WE BROUGHT IN DR. DEREK CHONG IS THE VICE CHAIR OF NEUROLOGY HERE IN NEW YORK. HOW UNCOMMON IS THIS, AMNESIA LINKED TO A PREVIOUS BRAIN INJURY OUT OF NOWHERE, YEARS LATER? >> IT'S PRETTY RARE BUT THERE'S SOME CASE REPORTS OF PEOPLE WHO SUDDENLY LOST MEMORY FOR TEN DAYS, A MONTH, AND UNABLE TO REMEMBER IT, AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. THEIR OWN LIFE, FOR TEN YEARS, EVEN. >> DO YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO YOU IF YOU'VE HAD A BRAIN INJURY? >> IT'S SUPER RARE. THERE'S MAYBE TEN CASES REPORTED IN THE LITERATURE. IT'S ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY. >> I AM WONDERING IF HE EVER USES IT. LIKE FORGOT YOUR BIRTHDAY. HE DIDN'T PICK UP THE THING AT THE GROCERY STORE ON THE WAY HOME. OH, MY INJURY. [ LAUGHTER ] >> THAT'S MY WILD CARD. I THOUGHT I TOOK THE TRASH OUT. >> YEAH. HE DOES. YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT IT'S A BIG JOKE IN OUR HOUSE. BUT MY MOTHER MOVED IN WITH US RIGHT BEFORE HE LOST HIS MEMORY. AND HE THINKS WE'RE PULLING A PRANK ON HIM. HE SAID, I NEVER AGREED TO THAT. [ LAUGHTER ] >> I LOVE HER, THOUGH. I LOVE HER. I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE HER. >> GOOD. >> HE'S DOING DAMAGE CONTROL. >> OH. LISTEN, WE'RE SO HAPPY YOU'RE FEELING BETTER NOW. YOU'RE OVER IT. >> I AM. I FEEL GOOD. ONE THING I'D LOVE TO SAY, IF YOU'RE GOING THROUGH ANY CIRCUMSTANCE OR ISSUE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE FAITH. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO BELIEVE YOU CAN GET THROUGH THAT. YOU JUST HAVE TO. RIGHT? [ APPLAUSE ] YES. ONE THING FOR QEUL AND MYSELF, WE HAVE FAITH IN GOD. WHEN YOU'RE UP AGAINST THE WALL AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO CALL ON, YOU HAVE THE MOMENTS AND YOU PRAY. I DO. I DO. >> AMEN.
