Venomous snake bite wiped my memory – so I got to ‘meet' my girlfriend for a second time & fall in love all over again
Mark Pelley unintentionally "ghosted" his now-wife Rebecca following the near fatal attack in Melbourne, Australia.
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The snake hunter had just started dating his partner when he was bitten by a tiger snake and lost the ability to breathe.
Unbeknown to his new love interest, he was rushed to hospital where he battled multiple organ failures and was left with temporary full retrograde amnesia.
The condition causes individuals to lose the ability to recall memories or information from before an injury.
Mark was reminded of his relationship when, after 10 days of not hearing from him, Rebecca texted him accusing him of "ghosting" her.
The text read: 'Well if you don't want to talk to me anymore, you could have let me know.'
The two then went on to 'fall in love all over again' and tied the knot this week.
'Before we met [again], I went through our texts so knew we were dating – and it was obvious in our messages how much I liked her,' Mark said.
He added: 'I could see that I was chasing after her and she was playing a bit hard to get.
'When we met, I had to explain from the beginning how not only did I get bitten and get seriously injured, but I lost a huge part of my memory for a while and didn't remember her at all.
'I went through the whole ordeal and said 'I know from my journal notes that I'm in love with you, but I look at you right now and can't tell you a single thing about yourself or us.
Gran, 55, found dead with head in the jaws of 23ft long python after she vanished while working in her garden
'I understand if that's too much to take in and because I don't remember you, it would be okay if you left'.
'Rebecca remained quiet for a bit and then said 'I look forward to making you fall in love with me all over again'.'
Describing it as 'one of the most incredible moments' of his life, Mark said the moment he touched her hand again, he "instantly" felt love in his heart.
He said: 'It shot from my palm of my left hand up my arm through my shoulder into my heart.
What is amnesia?
AMNESIA refers to the loss of memories, including facts, information and experiences, according to Mayo Clinic.
Symptoms include, trouble learning new information and trouble remembering past events and previously familiar information.
Most people with amnesia struggle with short-term memory and can't retain new information.
Recent memories are most likely to be lost while ingrained memories may be spared.
Individuals may recall experiences from childhood or know the names of past presidents.
But they may not be able to name the current president, know the month or remember what they ate for breakfast.
People with amnesia usually can understand written and spoken words and can learn skills such as bike riding or piano playing. They may understand they have a memory disorder.
'My heart recognised Rebecca even though my mind didn't.
'It was a very strange feeling love, but not know who I was in love with.'
Rebecca said she felt 'awful' that she'd had no idea what was going on.
She said: 'I don't watch the news so even though Mark's snake bite made headlines internationally, I was oblivious and thought he just stopped liking me.'
Mark was bitten by the snake at a property in northern Melbourne after a piece of his equipment broke in March 2024.
This was the first serious incident he had experience in his 14 years as a snake hunter.
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