Rebecca Sharrock: The Woman Who Says She Cannot Forget

Biography

What HSAM is

Highly superior autobiographical memory — HSAM, also discussed under the older term hyperthymesia — describes people who recall the events of their own lives in extraordinary detail and quantity, typically dated to the day. It is not a trained skill like competitive memorisation, and it is not photographic memory for information in general. It applies to lived experience.

The number of people identified with it is very small, which is the reason researchers pursue individual cases in such depth and the reason Sharrock has spent years as a subject as well as a person. Each confirmed case is a rare natural experiment in how autobiographical memory is stored and retrieved.

From twelve days old

Sharrock's account, given to the BBC World Service programme Outlook in August 2018 under the title I remember when I was a newborn, is that her recall begins at twelve days of age. It is among the earliest first memories anyone has publicly claimed.

This page reports the claim as she states it. Early autobiographical memory is one of the most contested areas in psychology, and the honest position is that her testimony and her participation in research are documented — the neurological mechanism is not settled here.

It is awful to be a medical exception

The Guardian's January 2022 profile took its headline from her own assessment: it is awful to be a medical exception, the woman who cannot forget. The framing is deliberate. Total recall is usually presented as a superpower; Sharrock has consistently described the cost of it.

A memory that does not fade means an argument from a decade ago retains its original force, and an ordinary bad day does not soften into a story. What is a curiosity to a reader is a permanent condition to the person living inside it.

A research subject

By 2022 Sharrock was reported to be taking part in HSAM research with the University of Queensland and the University of California — the institutions that have led work on the condition. She had already appeared on 60 Minutes Australia in 2016.

That dual role is the useful part of her public profile. Cases like hers are how the field advances: a small number of people who can be tested repeatedly, over years, against verifiable calendars and public events.

What is documented — and what is not

Documented: that she lives in Brisbane, that she has HSAM, that she states her recall begins at twelve days old, that The Guardian and the BBC have profiled her, and that she has taken part in university research into the condition.

Not documented in these sources: her age or birth year, her work, her family, any formal test scores, and any diagnosis beyond what she has described publicly. This page reports her memory as she and her interviewers describe it, and makes no medical claim of its own.

Achievement Timeline

Rebecca Sharrock — every milestone on this page, in order.

2016

Appears on 60 Minutes Australia, bringAppears on 60 Minutes Australia, bringing her case to a national audience.

2018

Tells BBC World Service's Outlook thatTells BBC World Service's Outlook that she remembers being a newborn.

2022

Profiled by The Guardian in January unProfiled by The Guardian in January under the line: it is awful to be a medical exception.

2022

Reported to be taking part in HSAM resReported to be taking part in HSAM research with the University of Queensland and the University of California.

Historical Comparison

Person	Country	Milestone	Age / Stat
Rebecca Sharrock	Australia	Highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM)	—
Marc Umile	United States	Reciting 15,314 digits of pi	—
Krishan Chahal	India	Reciting 43,000 digits of pi	—
Rick de Jong	Netherlands	Reciting 22,612 digits of pi	—
Karan Loomba	Australia	Reciting 10,533 digits of pi	—

What is documented — and what is not

✓ Documented

She has HSAM and lives in Brisbane, Australia.
She states publicly that she recalls every day of her life from twelve days old.
She was profiled by The Guardian in January 2022 and by BBC World Service's Outlook in 2018.
She has taken part in HSAM research with the University of Queensland and the University of California.

? Unverified, disputed or wrong

Her age and birth year.
Any published test results from the research she has joined.
The mechanism behind her earliest memories, which remains scientifically contested.
Her occupation and current activities.

Questions people ask about Rebecca Sharrock

What is Rebecca Sharrock's condition?

Highly superior autobiographical memory, or HSAM, also described as hyperthymesia: an unusual capacity to recall the events of one's own life in dated detail.

How far back does she remember?

She says her recall starts at twelve days old. She described it to BBC World Service in 2018 under the title I remember when I was a newborn.

How old is Rebecca Sharrock?

The sources used here do not give her age or birth year.

Is HSAM the same as a photographic memory?

No. HSAM concerns autobiographical experience — the events of a person's own life — rather than a general ability to memorise information.

Is her memory scientifically proven?

She has taken part in HSAM research with the University of Queensland and the University of California. This page reports her account and her research participation; it does not publish test results, which are not in these sources.

Why does she call it awful?

Because a memory that does not fade keeps painful days at their original intensity. The Guardian took its 2022 headline from her description of being a medical exception.