Rosie Paley, 18, can't remember childhood after being struck with rare brain disease encephalitis Rosie Paley was hospitalised with encephalitis when she was aged 16 She was left unable to recognise her mother and two younger brothers The teenager relies on old photographs and memories of her mother Helen She still suffers short-term memory loss and has to write basic tasks down A teenager was left unable to recognise her mother and two brothers and can no longer remember any of her childhood after a rare brain disease wiped her long term memory. Rosie Paley, now 18, didn't know who her mother, Helen, or two younger brothers Rhys, four, and Ollie, two, were when she came round in hospital after being struck down with encephalitis. The trainee hairdresser says she has lost all her old school friends because she does not recognise them and could not remember who her favourite band were or what foods she liked. Memory loss: Rosie Paley, 18, lost all her childhood memories when she was struck down with a rare brain condition at the age of 16 Getting to know you... again: Rosie didn't even recognise her younger brothers Ollie, left, and Rhys, right and had to be re-introduced to them She now relies on old photographs and anecdotes shared by Helen, 36, and Rhys, to help come to terms with her memory loss. Rosie, from Birmingham, said: 'I have had to change every aspect of my life now because I don't know what I was like before. 'I've lost all my childhood friends as I can't recognise them or reminisce about old times and so it's hard to be around them as they knew the old me before the memory loss. When I first came round, mum brought my two younger brothers to see me. I had no idea who they were and I panicked. No recollection: Rosie relies on stories told by her mother Helen, right, and her brother Rhys in place of her own memories History: Rosie has surrounded herself with pictures of her past in the hope that it might jog her memory My mum had to introduce them to me. I found it really difficult, but they took it in their stride. 'Getting to know them again has been great though - Rhys loves telling me tales about all the things we have done together that I can't remember. Looking back at pictures I can see I had an amazing childhood I just wish I had the memories to go with the pictures. 'Life is now about making my new memories, it's like I'm starting from the beginning.' Doctors were left baffled when Rosie fell ill with encephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain. Although it was caused by the herpes simplex virus - the same bug responsible for cold sores and chicken pox - Rosie showed no symptoms prior to suffering a seizure and fell down the stairs in August 2011. Memories: Rosie keeps pictures of her, including these of her as a toddler, left, and as a young dancer, right, on her bedroom wall Doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital were forced to sedate Rosie because her seizure was so bad, but when she eventually came around her memory had been wiped. Her mother Helen said: 'Rosie woke up and looked at me with a blank expression and said: "Who are you?" I was heartbroken and terrified. Encephalitis is a relatively rare condition, with around 4,000 new cases each year. Young children and older people are more prone to contracting encephalitis which causes the brain to become inflamed because their immune systems aren't as strong. The condition kills around 10 per cent of those who suffer from it. Sufferers normally show flu-like symptoms initially which leads to more serious symptoms within days such as seizures, changes in mental state and changes in personality and behaviour. It can be caused by infection, the immune system reacting to something non-infectious like a tumour, or it can just develop naturally over several months. A Japanese version of the condition can be transmitted by ticks or animals with rabies. Long term effects can include memory loss, epilepsy, changes of personality, problems concentrating and extreme fatigue. According to the NHS, the best prevention for encephalitis is to ensure you have had the MMR vaccine and to maintain good hygiene to avoid common infections. I thought she would never remember me. Luckily after a few hours she began to recognise me and even asked for her favourite childhood teddy bear, Baa lamb, which is still the only thing she remembers. 'I tried to surround her with family and things that she might remember but she didn't even recognise her two younger brothers. 'We even took her to a Steps concert, as they were her favourite band, but she couldn't recognise any of the songs.' In an attempt to jog her memory, Rosie has surrounded herself with old pictures, creating a wall of photographs in her bedroom. She said: 'When I looked at the pictures I could see how happy I was at the time but it just draws a blank in my head as I can't think of the actual event or how I was feeling at the time. 'Most people my age look back at high school as the best years of their life but I can't do that, I can just look at the pictures and imagine what it must have been like.' The teenager still suffers with short term memory loss and has to write down instructions for her bus journey to work as well as reminders to help her complete every day tasks. She said: 'I panic if I'm late and I have had to call my mum sometimes because I forget to get off at my stop and ended up at the last stop with no idea where I am. 'It's really stressful but as long as I have a routine I can handle it all. 'Hairdressing is great because it's repetitive and so I can keep practising until I learn things and remember them. Helen, added: 'We could look at all the bad things about what's happened but it wouldn't solve or change anything. Milestones: Rosie does not remember major events in her life, such as birthdays, left, and her high school prom, right I try and encourage Rosie to not rely on technology and just to get in the habit of repeating things until they are really clear for her. We have a laugh about it and Rosie just refers to herself as a little bit ditzy rather than someone with a memory problem. According to Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society, 4,000 new cases of the condition are identified every year in the UK. Missing out: Rosie said that although most people see their school days as the best of their life, she has no memory of hers She said: 'The causes include infection, and the immune system going rogue and attacking healthy tissue. It is the herpes simplex that is most likely to attack the parts of the brain responsible for memory. Of those people who survive encephalitis - the mortality rate is 80 per cent without swift treatment - seven out of ten respond to the anti-viral drug Aciclovor, ideally if it is given with 24 or 48 hours. However, those whose memory has been attacked are unlikely to recover in that respect, although what sufferers can develop is better ways of coping with their condition.