Dana Kiger's situation is an extremely sad one. For those who don't know who Kiger is, here's the story: at 16, the Tennessee honor student and star athlete was hit from behind while playing in a routine soccer game. She fell to the ground, her head striking the hard turf. The blow knocked out just about all of Kiger's memories. With no physical trauma or swelling in her brain, doctors were positive Kiger's memory would return in a few days. But it did not. And 2½ years later, it still hasn't. Kiger -- who has no memory of her family, her childhood or her life before her injury -- has had to create new memories, rekindle relationships and relearn old skills. (Remarkably, Kiger's natural ability on the soccer field was the one part of her previous life that kicked in immediately.)
Now to your question: I think one of the things that families try to do to help their loved one become re-acquainted with their past life is that they surround their loved one with the same people who were so important to them before the injury, trying to get back to "normal" and possibly trigger a memory for the loved one. In this case, her old friends are surrounding her, trying to help her remember while at the same time, help her feel comfortable in her "new" situation and look forward to the future. In this case, it appears that since her love of soccer and ability to play came back almost immediately, it would make sense that she would befriend these same people as these would be the people from her soccer team.
