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But one can't--at least not by asking. Early in her illness, Johnson seemed aware of the gravity of her impairment, and it seemed to upset her greatly. Even now, she clearly knows something is missing. "I miss the life I had," she says, sometimes adding poignantly, "Do you know how much I miss flying?" But if you ask her about her memory problem, she responds emphatically, "There's nothing wrong with my memory."
Even if she could address her deficit, it's not clear how useful her perceptions would be, since words can go only so far in conveying mental state. The reassuring thing, Turk-Browne says, is that "Lonni Sue does seem happy. She's motivated, she's driven to do things that give her pleasure. She has an incredibly supportive family." Those are things much to be desired. Johnson has clearly lost an incalculable amount. But joy--even unremembered joy--is at least some compensation.