© Thijs Huizer
The Boy Without Yesterday
Jur Deitmers
Jur's story is a testament to perseverance, the embrace of continuous self-development, and the power of music, even in the darkest times. His open perspective and determination to help others form the core of his message.
Languages:
Employability:
Keynote spreker
Employability:
Keynote spreker,
About Jur Deitmers
Imagine waking up in a hospital and remembering nothing. No memories, no past, no idea who you are.
Control – Alt – Delete. This happened to Jur Deitmers.
What followed was not only a profound medical story but the beginning of a life that had to be reshaped. Without memories, Jur had to discover step by step who he was, how the world worked, and how he related to others. The recovery was confusing, intense, and sometimes confronting, but it also brought a unique way of looking at things: open, curious, and without quick judgments.
Before his illness, Jur studied Economics and Philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2016, he left for a year of study at Harvard University. A year later, everything changed. Jur suffered two consecutive brain inflammations: first, a severe encephalitis caused by the Herpes Simplex virus, and then NMDAR encephalitis. Due to the first inflammation, he lost his entire autobiographical memory.
Interestingly, some skills remained intact. Jur was still able to play the piano. While his memories had vanished, this skill remained stored somewhere in his brain. It shows how complex and fascinating our memory actually works.
What followed was a forced restart of his life.
Jur shares his story in lectures that resonate and provoke thought. With personal experiences, humor, and sharp observations, he demonstrates how quickly we tend to judge, how strongly our assumptions influence our behavior, and how much space is created when we look at each other with genuine curiosity.
His story is not only about memory loss but primarily about how we as humans perceive each other, how we give meaning to experiences, and how openness can create new perspectives.
“Don’t be a victim of your past, be a director of the future”
What the audience takes away
Jur’s lectures provide recognition, reflection, and often surprising insights.
Audiences and organizations take away, among other things:
• How quickly we think we know who someone is;
• How strongly prejudices and assumptions influence our behavior;
• How curiosity and openness lead to better conversations and collaboration;
• How resilience and adaptability can take us further than we think;
• The result is a lecture that resonates, inspires, and remains a topic of conversation for a long time.
• Social engagement.
In 2019, Jur founded the ItsME Foundation. With this foundation, he advocates for more scientific research into meningitis and encephalitis, to increase survival chances and better support patients and families.
His remarkable story also caught the attention of filmmaker Ivo Niehe, who made a documentary about his life.
Want to know more about Jur’s story? Listen to the podcast ‘The Boy Without Yesterday’ from WNL/NPO.
Specialist Subjects
Videos
"Je vrienden zijn vreemden voor je" | Eva
Van Harvard terug naar de basisschool | Jur Deitmers | TEDxHaarlem
