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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Lauran Neergaard and Shelby Lum

An autoimmune disease stole his memory. There was no warning

Christy Morrill, who lost decades of memories to autoimmune encephalitis, sits at his home, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in San Carlos, Calif. (AP Photo/David Goldman) - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

"My year of unravelling" is how Christy Morrill described the nightmarish period when his own immune system turned against him, hijacking his brain.

This devastating condition, known as autoimmune encephalitis, can strike without warning, attacking the very organ that makes us "us".

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