How’s that for a rude awakening?
Michael Boatwright, 61, was found unconscious in a California motel in February. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he awoke, speaking only Swedish and with no recollection of his past life. He insisted his name was Johan Ek, even though police found four separate forms of ID in the motel room that indicate his name is Michael Thomas Boatwright and that he was born in Florida, not Sweden.
Boatwright, a Navy veteran, had just arrived in California from Hong Kong. Doctors at Desert Regional Center in Palm Springs have diagnosed him with Transient Global Amnesia, a rare condition triggered by trauma or “sudden and unplanned travel” that results in memory loss or the creation of a new identity. It can last several months.
Boatwright, speaking through a translator, has said, “The guy Michael — it wasn’t me. I’m still Johan.”
Sadly, both Michael and Johan have very little money, which is proving to be quite problematic. He has no income or insurance, and at the moment, $187 to his name, $7 of which was found in a Chinese bank account. He is becoming a burden on the hospital, and doctors are exploring options for him that would get him out of their care, but prevent him from being left on the streets. Further, the amnesia has made him completely forget how to function. His social worker explains:
Boatwright doesn’t recall how to exchange money, take public transportation, or seek temporary housing like homeless shelters or hotels
Officials have been unable to locate any family members, aside from the two ex-wives and son he can’t remember. Boatwright expresses how he feels:
“Sometimes it makes me really sad and sometimes it just makes me furious about the whole situation and the fact that I don’t know anybody, I don’t recognize anybody.”
