Katie Couric has opened up about a recent health scare she dubbed 'The Day I'll Never Remember.'
The 69-year-old was diagnosed with transient global amnesia after she suffered temporary memory loss during a "freaky" incident at the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 27.
Katie explained in a Substack post on July 6 that she started her day at the local farmer's market, where she bought "beautiful peaches and nectarines, a big bag of kettle corn and a cute straw hat I really didn't need."
However, Katie said that "the last thing I remember" is grabbing a hot dog for lunch after her husband, John Molner, drove her to the Aspen Institute, where she was scheduled to talk on two panels.
Katie moderated a panel on AI with futurist Amy Webb and was a panelist on Journalism's Next Chapter, which was moderated by Columbia University’s Journalism School dean Jelani Cobb, and featured journalist Aaron Parnas and The Argument founder Jerusalem Demsas.
© Getty Images"I remember nothing from either panel," she admitted. "I have met Jelani and know Aaron a bit, but right now, I couldn't pick Amy or Jerusalem out of a lineup."
She added she has "no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended."
Her husband added in the post that Katie's intern found her "out of it" after the panels and tracked him down to let him know that "Katie wasn't feeling well," so he drove her to Aspen Valley Hospital.
© Getty Images"Having spent a lot of time in Aspen since I was a kid, I assumed Katie was dehydrated and suffering from some form of altitude sickness — something common among visitors to a town that's about 7,900 feet above sea level," John wrote.
At the hospital, Katie revealed to doctors that she could not recall the names of some of her grandchildren or the year, which prompted medical staff to "initiate stroke protocol."
"When I was asked the month, the year, and who was president, I got them wrong," she shared. "I wasn't sure of the month. I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president."
© Getty ImagesKatie underwent an MRI, and when that came back with no signs of a stroke, she was tested further and eventually diagnosed with transient global amnesia (TGA).
Katie spoke to neurologist David Perlmutter about her diagnosis for Katie Couric Media, and he explained that "TGA is a sudden, temporary loss of the ability to form new memories."
He added: "A person is awake, alert, knows who they are, recognizes family members, and can carry on a conversation, but they can't remember what just happened a few minutes ago."
© Getty ImagesDavid said that the cause of this "frightening" condition remains unknown, but "common triggers include vigorous exercise, heavy lifting, emotional shock, pain, sexual activity, coughing, or straining."
He noted that TGA is generally reversible, and Katie confirmed that her memory returned to normal the day after the incident.
"This was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious," she admitted. "Ultimately, I'm relieved—even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me."
