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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
National
Veronica Rocha

Dying woman with amnesia found in Carlsbad searches for family

June 30--A woman with amnesia who was found by firefighters in Southern California earlier this year is turning to social media to find out more about herself as she battles cancer and struggles to stay alive.

The woman, who goes by Sam, does not recall who she is or where she comes from. But there are traces of her past life that are difficult to ignore. She speaks French and English, and has memories of a life in Australia.

But after that, everything becomes a bit fuzzy.

The woman is now hoping to find some answers about her life and is reaching out to the public on Facebook to help her.

"It has been a bit over a 3 weeks that i have been out of the hospital and there have been no leads by the authorities on my finding my family," she wrote. "My friends that I have made believe it is time to use the Internet ourselves to see if we can find my family or friends."

What is known about the woman is that she was found by firefighters on Feb. 1 in Carlsbad. Carlsbad police told KNSD-TV that the woman was barely conscious and that she couldn't provide firefighters with details about her past.

Hoping to reconnect the woman with her family, Interpol has also posted information about her on its missing persons site.

The woman says she recalls living in Hawaii and swimming in a lap pool in Perth, Australia.

"I remember having breakky almost every morning at the organic restaurant across from the ocean in Cottelsoe Beach outside Perth, and dining for months at the restaurants in Byron Bay," she said.

Shortly after she was found, the woman wrote on Facebook that she was taken to a hospital and placed in intensive care, where doctors discovered she had retro amnesia tied to a tumor found in an ovary.

For months, the woman spent time among nurses, doctors, patients and clergy members -- her only friends.

Doctors told her the tumor had been growing for five years. She has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and her chances of surviving are dire.

"My prognosis is not good and I pray my family will be found soon," she wrote.

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