Michael Boatwright was found unconscious in a Motel 6 room in California on February 28, reports the Desert Sun.  His driver’s license said he was born in Florida, but when he awoke in the emergency room in Desert Regional Medical Center, Boatwright only spoke Swedish and answered to the name Johan Ek.

When he was found, he had with him a duffel bag that had casual clothes, athletic equipment, two phones, old photos, and four forms of identification, a passport, veteran’s medical card, California identification card, and Social Security card, all of which identify him as Boatwright.  Staring at his own reflection, Boatwright felt like he might throw up.  He did not recognize the 61-year-old man staring back at him.

Six months after the bizarre incidence, USA Today reports that Boatwright was sent off to Sweden.  Case workers were able to piece his story together.  A few days before he was found unconscious, he had flown from China to the U.S. with the hopes of getting a job as a tennis coach.  His family was unable to care for him and he had no local contacts that he could rely on.

The Mental Health Department looked at all available options.  The Department of Veterans Affairs ruled that inpatient care was not appropriate in this case.  He was even moved to a homeless shelter for two weeks.  With no prospects in California, the Mental Health Department purchased a ticket to Gothenburg, Sweden.  There, a woman named Ewa Epsling met him at the airport.  Epsling and Boatwright had once planned to marry in the mid-1980s, before Boatwright was first diagnosed with amnesia.  The Mental Health Department received assurances that Boatwright would have a place to live, access to care, and the ability to remain in Sweden long-term even though he was an American citizen.

According to the Mayo Clinic, amnesia refers generally to a loss of any form of memories, including facts, information, and experiences.  Though sensationalized stories, and the odd account of Michael Boatwright, seem that amnesia means losing one’s self-identity, the Mayo Clinic emphasizes that real-life amnesia generally is not accompanied with a loss of self-identify.  Amnesia can be caused by brain damage to regions involved in memory processing.  Transient global amnesia is a temporary form of amnesia, but some forms can be permanent.  Amnestic syndrome is a form of amnesia where the person is lucid, but has trouble forming new memories or retaining new information.  There is no specific treatment for amnesia, but psychological support and memory enhancement may help.