Life is constantly changing for all of us. The unpredictability is what makes life interesting. Sometimes, though, the surprises in your life are scary, and in the case of Adam Gonzalez, scary was an understatement.
Adam woke up one morning in a strange house surrounded by people calling themselves his family. He had never seen them before and had no idea what was going on. This was a living nightmare…
The Unknown Place
Adam Gonzalez, a 42-year-old, from Phoenix, Arizona, woke up one day in a home he did not recognize surrounded by faces he did not know. He tried to think back on the night before, and all he could draw was a blank. He couldn’t figure out what was going on…
The Stranger
In September of 2016, Adam woke to find himself all alone in a house he had never seen before. He looked around to see if anyone was there when a woman suddenly appeared…
The Woman
The woman approached him. Dressed casually, she seemed to have an expression that appeared as if she knew him. He racked his brain trying to figure out if he knew her, but he was sure he did not…
Dreaming
He figured he was probably dreaming and tried his best to wake himself up. To no avail, the woman was still there, and she approached him with a friendly smile as if they’d known each other for ages. This was too weird…
Utter Confusion
Things were getting more confusing by the minute. Adam was speechless. He tried desperately to recall if he had ever met this woman, but there was nothing recognizable about the room or the woman. What was she doing…
Who Are You?
When he got his thoughts together he asked the woman who she was and where they were. It triggered something in her, a cautious uncomfortable chuckle. Then, she laughed and asked him not to joke…
The Laugh
Her laugh made things even more confusing. Adam’s mind was racing and he was trying to figure out what to do next. Had he been kidnapped?
Her Answer
Adam repeated his question over and over again, asking the woman who she was. When she finally answered him, his world was turned upside down. Something was not right…
Raquel’s Story
The woman said her name was Raquel, and that she was Adam’s WIFE. She told Adam they’d been married for a year now. But that just couldn’t be true…
The Others
Raquel also shared that she and Adam had three children together. He began to sob uncontrollably—what kind of joke was this? He would obviously know if he was married with three children…
Must Be Mistaken
Adam thought he had it figured out—Raquel must be mistaking him for her actual husband. When he went to tell her that he was not her husband, she had left the room…
Recalling the Night Before
He tried desperately to remember what had happened the night before, but there was no memory there. And now, the present was scaring him just as much. Raquel came back into the room holding photos in her hand…
Looking at the Photos
Raquel handed him the stack of photos, and there, in the photos, he saw his own face looking back at him. He froze in disbelief, but again, he thought there was no way that could be him in the photos, rather someone who looked just like him…
More Evidence
Raquel handed over his phone and personal identification so that he could further verify things on his own. But this was just the tip of the iceberg…
Knowing the Details
She addressed him as Adam, and he wondered “How does she know my name?” He felt trapped in a puzzle with no solution. He needed to act fast to get himself out of this strange situation…
Proof -Vs- Memory
Raquel had shown him loads of proof alluding to the fact that he was indeed her husband, but that did not explain his total and complete lack of memory. He had never laid eyes on her before now…
Playing the Game
She tried her best to convince him that she really was his wife and that they had a happy and loving life together. He wanted to run away but he didn’t know how. He decided to play along with her story for now, until he could figure out a way out of this…
His Things Were Missing
He looked around the house and thought to himself, there’s nothing here that belonged to me. This supported his story! He asked Raquel where all of his suits were. But, of course, she had an answer. She told him he was a gym trainer, so he didn’t own and suits. He was really confused at this point and asked her to take him to the hospital—something was not right…
Heading to the Hospital
He began shaking in frustration, and yet, Raquel was calm. He grabbed his phone and called his mother, the one person he thought would tell him the truth. But that was not the case. She, instead, confirmed Raquel’s story. At this point, the doctor had arrived to shed some light on this troubling situation…
Looking Way Back
The doctor revealed that Adam’s problems traced back to 2011. Adam was 35 at the time, fresh out of a divorce, and working for AT&T in Lubbock, Texas. He decided to start dating again, but this choice would lead to a life-changing altercation…
Violent End
His new relationship proved to be quite dangerous. The woman got violent, striking him with a blunt object in the back of the head and tying him up from the rafters. Needless to say, this left Adam fighting for his life…
Fighting for His Life
Adam was found in the nick of time, but his battle had just begun. The doctor’s resuscitated him twice after his heart stopped. After resuscitation, he fell into a 4-month coma. When he finally awoke, he didn’t recognize his ex-wife or their two children. It was as if his mind had been erased…
A Year of Monitoring
Adam stayed in the hospital recovering for a year. He had to rehab for a while just to get back his basic motor skills and his speech. After some time, his physical wounds healed, but mentally, he was not the same. How could he not remember his two children?
Everything Was Gone
Nothing looked familiar, no matter how many photos he looked at nor how much time he spent with his family, he could not recall anything. He tried hard to get over the shock of what had happened, but he was having a very hard time. He decided it was best for him to leave town and try to begin again…
Off to Phoenix
Adam moved to Phoenix to start over. He was hired as a cable installer and met Raquel, a 30-year-old marketing manager with a daughter, online. After they had talked for a while, they decided to meet in person…
Instant Sparks
The two felt an instant connection and were inseparable immediately. After dating for a few months they moved in together and got hitched in 2015. Adam finally had something in his life to make him happy again, but things would soon change…
Another Black Out
But now, all those memories they had created together disappeared. Raquel was crushed and tried everything she could think of to get her husband back. But nothing she tried was reigniting his memory…
Getting Worse
When Adam demanded to see their marriage certificate, he was still not satisfied. He even went as far as to say, “I am not attracted to you, and you do not turn me on at all.” She was running out of ideas…
Tough Love
Raquel tried to remain calm, knowing that it wasn’t Adam’s fault that he couldn’t remember anything. She was determined to get the love of her life back, and she was not going to give up…
A New Attempt
She was willing to do whatever it took to win him over. She learned to cook, something Adam typically did, and gradually, she and Adam repaired their relationship. She recalled “He once said, If you’re my wife, I think we can kiss. This is still the husband I married – he is always trying to get a free kiss. Adam’s always been a flirt and continues to be a flirt.” She was not giving up…
It Takes a Village
The whole family took part in Adam’s recovery. The children grew to be quite independent as their parents weren’t around often. They did, however, show Adam some of the exercises he had taught them in an effort to jog his memory…
Starting Over
Raquel had to learn how to begin again with her husband. He said, “there was some excitement about it and there was a little bit of mystery about who this really nice woman is and was.” Then, their unique story took another turn…
First Dates
Raquel and Adam began going on dates. Does this remind you of any Hollywood film plotlines? What about 50 First Dates? While the main character started over again day after day, Adam and Raquel were starting over again with their relationship…
Dating All Over Again
While he was in the hospital, they would have dinner dates in the cafeteria and exchange flirtatious banter by the vending machines. It wasn’t much, but it was something…
Everything Had Changed
So much had changed for Adam. He was shocked at how much older his children were than he remembered. They had moved up to different schools and so they had to give him directions when he drove them. His daughter, Lulu, saved “Home” into the GPS in his phone, too, just in case…
The Change
One morning in December of 2016, however, Adam woke up with good news. His memory had once again returned! He apologized to his family—he couldn’t imagine the pain he had caused them. Raquel asked if he knew who she was, to which he replied, “How could I ever forget you? You are my Raquel.” Raquel felt as if someone had unloaded a big weight off her heart. She replied, “Oh honey, there is so much I have to tell you about.”
Returning to Normal
Now, things are improving every day. Adam how now recovered more memories. Doctor’s tried endlessly to explain his amnesia so long after his accident. One memory he still hasn’t recovered, though, is his wedding day. But instead of being upset, he decided to relive those special days…
Renewing Their Vows
Adam and Raquel have since renewed their vows, and Adam now works as a pastor in a church. He maintains, “I really learned how to truly surrender to God and have faith and believe that you can overcome the hardest of struggles.”Â
Today, they are living as happy as ever, and the struggles they endured have only solidified the foundation of their relationship.