As the bright summer sunshine poured in the hospital
window, Favaloro wondered why the sun would be so strong in November. After
waking fully, he was tested by a doctor who used a set of questions designed to
test a patient's level of consciousness. After Favaloro answered that the date
was around Thanksgiving, the doctor let out an "Uh-huh," and left the room.Favaloro was convinced it was late November 1995 and that he was home from Colby for Thanksgiving break. In fact it was late August 1996. It wasn't until a nurse told him the actual date that Favaloro realized something was very wrong. He could not remember his college graduation, his 22nd birthday or his acceptance to the University of Pennsylvania. These were the first indicators he was suffering from retrograde amnesia.
When his parents arrived at the hospital, a thoroughly disorientated Favaloro began trying to make sense of this baffling information. "Dad, I'm 21," he insisted. "What are they trying to tell me?"
At first it was difficult for his parents to understand that their son could not recall any events from the last nine months of his life. His father began recounting what he knew about Frank's senior year at Colby and the summer he spent working there after graduation. When his father informed him that the day of the accident was the day he was supposed to be driving to Philadelphia to begin graduate school, Favaloro was stunned.
"Penn? Why the hell would I want to go to Penn?" he responded. "It's in Philadelphia!"
Trying not to overwhelm him, Favaloro's father gently gave him a rough outline of the last nine months of his life. When his parents got ready to leave the hospital for the night, his dad handed him his glasses, which had fallen off during the accident. Favaloro looked at the spectacles and asked, "Whose are these?"
Released from the hospital the next day, Favaloro walked outside and was still surprised by the hot August sun. And more surprises awaited him.