ANAHEIM : After 8 Days, Patient Reunited with Family

A man who could not speak or identify himself but required emergency medical treatment was reunited this weekend with his family at Kaiser Permanente Hospital-Orange County after an eight-day separation.

Arturo Camarillo, 23, suffered an epileptic seizure Oct. 28 and was taken to the hospital. The Pomona resident had reportedly collapsed in a shopping center on Santa Ana Canyon Road in Anaheim Hills.

Camarillo was unable to speak or write, and doctors feared he had suffered brain damage. He carried no identification and was unable to communicate any details about his family, according to hospital spokeswoman Amy Baker Senna.

Camarillo’s family apparently heard about the man’s plight through a story on a Spanish-language television station, Senna said. Camarillo’s mother came to the hospital Friday, she said.

“I’m really glad,” said Senna. “We’ve never dealt with this before. People didn’t know what to do right away.”

From family members, hospital personnel learned that Camarillo had been mute for some time, had a history of seizures and had developed mental disabilities.

Senna said the hospital was concerned that privacy laws might forbid them from releasing details about the man even though that seemed to be in his best interest.

Senna said the hospital immediately contacted the Anaheim Police Department to see if someone who fit Camarillo’s description was reported missing.

Last week, the hospital also contacted the media, and at least two newspapers and three television stations ran brief stories about Camarillo, said Senna.