A LANCASTER student who lost most of her memory to a brain virus has had to hire an agent after her story sparked an international media frenzy.

News of Leanne Walker's remarkable recovery from encephalitis a brain disease that wiped 21 years of her life from her memory has been making global headlines.

When the 23-year-old was struck by the virus in 2000 doctors thought she wouldn't make it through the night, never mind graduate from Lancaster University with a 2:1 degree in psychology.

Left with only a 30-second memory, Leanne amazed everyone when she fought back and recovered to finish her studies.

The former Lancaster Girls Grammar school pupil's story made headlines across the globe, including features in the national press, on the BBC World Service and in the New Zealand Herald.

Just back from a stint on the comfy couches of GMTV, Leanne says: "I can't believe what's happened. I didn't expect anything like this. The phone just hasn't stopped ringing so I've had to hire an agent to deal with all the interest."

But Leanne's recovery has also given hope to others who are dealing with the effects of encephalitis.

She has had calls from as far afield as India from people wanting to know more about the oxygen treatment which she believes played a huge part in improving her memory.

Leanne, who has had to piece together her life before her illness using old family film footage and photographs, still has trouble with names and navigation.

But she now plans to recover from the media frenzy' with a holiday in Turkey with her dad Bob.