A SHENZHEN man who lost his memory following a serious head injury was reunited with his family with the help of microblogs, 15 months after the accident.
Zheng Zhilin, 29, was able to recognize his father, mother and brother when they arrived at his ward in Shenzhen No. 2 People s Hospital in Futian District on Friday, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.
But he could not recognize his wife, whom he married in April last year, or his baby son, the report said.
A tearful Zheng Zhixin, the patient s brother who had been searching for his missing brother since August last year, said he was thrilled after reading his brother s story in the Daily that morning.
I called my parents in my hometown immediately, he said.
Zheng Zhilin, a native of Shantou City in Guangdong, had been a security guard at an electronics company in Huaqiangbei for 12 years before the accident. He was hit by a truck while crossing Shennan Road Central at midnight Aug. 15, 2009, and sent to Shenzhen No. 2 People s Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for 15 months.
Doctors said the collision caused great harm to Zheng s brain, causing him to lose his memory and much of his intelligence, and his right arm was paralyzed.
Hospital staff had tried and failed to locate his family.
On Wednesday night, Sun Haoyuan, a journalist, posted pictures along with Zheng s story on his microblog at Sina.com, which instantly became a hot topic on the Internet. Thousands of people transmitted the news, calling for help to find Zheng s family.
The Southern Metropolis Daily reported Zheng s story Friday. Zhang Zhixin knew of his brother s whereabouts after reading the report.
Microblogs have become a popular way for Chinese to receive the latest news and information, according to a survey conducted by the China Youth Daily in August.
(Mu Zi)
