Less than 48 hours after a San Diego NBC news station posted the story about a woman suffering from both cancer and amnesia, it appears that she’s found her family – and her name.
The woman whom hospital staffers were calling Sam is actually Ashley Manetta, a 53-year-old resident of Southern California who was born in Pennsylvania. Manetta’s nephew saw the news story online and immediately called his mother. Manetta has since spoke to her relatives on the phone.
“It was extremely emotional. We were all sobbing,” Manetta told NBC 7. “They’re so sorry I had to go through what I did during this time without them.”
Manetta was admitted to a hospital in Carlsbad, California, in February because she was suffering from ovarian cancer, but on top of that, she claimed to have no memory of who she was or where she might be from. To confuse matters further, she spoke with an accent that sounded British or Australian, and she claimed to dream about Australia.
Manetta told NBC 7 that she apparently has visited Australia many times over the course of her life.
The FBI has yet to verify that Manetta is who her family claims, NBC 7 notes, but helped the reunion happen nonetheless. Manetta told the station she plans to live with one of her sisters in Maryland.
This article was originally published on People
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