Tom Richards has to piece his life together every day using notes after an accident robbed him of his short-term memory.

Tom needs scribbled reminders to prompt him to do the simplest tasks around the house.

The 39-year-old cares for his sick wife, Maria, 34, who is dying from incurable Huntingdon's Disease.

He also has to look after daughters Stacey, 13, and Nichole, nine - but they end up reminding him of his daily tasks.

Tom, of Sunderland, was left in a nine-day coma eight years ago when scaffolding he was working on fell on his head. It left him unable to form new memories and each day when he woke up he had no idea who he was.

He has slowly recovered elements of his memory and now recognises Maria and the girls.

But he has to write notes to remind him to do the same tasks every single day.

Notes litter the house to remind him to feed Maria, take the girls to school, make appointments for Maria's nurse, and pick the girls up again.

On the back of a faded wedding photo he has written: "This is us getting married."

His bizarre existence mirrors the movie Memento, in which actor Guy Pearce loses his memory after an attack and can only function with the help of notes and crucial information tattooed on his body.

Tom said: "I feel as though there are whole chunks of my life missing.

"I can remember when I was a child and things that happened years and years ago - but I couldn't tell you what happened yesterday.

"Things like doing the weekly shopping are a nightmare, but the girls in the supermarket know me by now and are really helpful.

"Life is a struggle but I soldier on for the sake of Maria and the girls."