Jacky Bush was pregnant with her second child when her husband Bob got encephalitis. She was advised to forget him but has remained loyal to him for thirty years even though he doesn't recognise her.

Jacky and Bob on their wedding day

Jacky met Bob in 1965 at the local RAF camp when she was working as a secretary. He was full of fun and friendly and always in the middle of the crowd. They got married in 1966 and their daughter Lisa was born the following year.

They were expecting another baby when disaster struck. Bob phoned her from work complaining of an awful headache. When the doctor arrived, he said Bob had a cold, but the next morning he was no better. Later that day Bob had a fit and was rushed to hospital.

When Jacky went to see him that afternoon Bob wasn't making any sense. The next day, he'd gone into a coma. When they operated they found inflammation in his brain and it was about a month until they realised that he had encephalitis, a one in a million chance. Encephalitis affects people in many different ways. In Bob's case it destroyed half his brain and all his memory.

Jacky was four months pregnant with their second child and, she says, the situation was a nightmare. It felt like the person she'd loved had disappeared within twenty four hours and they have never been able to have a real conversation since. Jacky was told that if Bob did not get better within two years there would be no hope.

But things were to get worse. Jacky's second child, David was born. She came home to a one bedroom maisonette and suddenly without any warning the hospital turned up on the doorstep with Bob. This continued for every weekend for two years. He would be sent home every weekend on a Friday with his tablets. Nobody asked her how she was coping.

Finally a neuro specialist told Jacky that Bob wasn't going to get better. Jacky felt that at least he had the guts to tell her. The doctor advised her to forget him. She was still young and could make a new life for herself. But Jacky said she couldn't that do that. Even now when she sees him she can see why she fell in love with him.

Jacky and Bon on their wedding day

David never got to know his father, but Jacky says he's just like him. Long term care for Bob has been an ongoing problem. A few years ago it was suggested that Bob be released into the community, a prospect which terrified Jacky. She got some help from the encephalitis society who helped fund a place at a private home in Tunbridge where his life has been transformed.

Jacky has been tempted to remarry but it just didn't feel right. Jacky says, she's not an unhappy person. She never regrets marrying Bob because of their five great years together.