A mysterious man who has spent more than three years unable to tell doctors his own name may finally be one step closer to getting his identity back.

The unidentified man collapsed on a street in Amsterdam on May 10, 2023, and was rushed to a hospital after suffering what doctors believe was a brain hemorrhage or stroke.

He survived — but the medical emergency left him with severe aphasia, a condition that can affect a person’s ability to speak, understand language, read and write.

The disorder has also been associated with actor Bruce Willis, whose family previously revealed he had been diagnosed with aphasia before later announcing his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.

For the mystery patient in Amsterdam, the condition created an extraordinary problem: He could not tell hospital workers his name, where he lived or how to contact his family.

Even more puzzling, he was carrying no identification, bank cards or other documents that could immediately reveal who he was.

Three years later, investigators are still trying to answer one basic question: Who is this man?

Retired Cops Take On the Mystery

Although police do not believe a crime occurred, two retired officers working as volunteers with a Dutch cold case team took on the unusual investigation.

The former officers, identified by authorities only as Ruud and Nel, began tracing the man’s life around Amsterdam.

What they discovered only deepened the mystery.

Investigators learned the man had spent time with a Buddhist community on Middenweg in eastern Amsterdam.

People there knew him simply as “Lucky.”

But nobody apparently knew his real name.

Around another Amsterdam public square, the man had collected an even stranger assortment of nicknames.

Police said people remembered calling him Lucky, Louis, Lee, John, Ponytail and Sonny.

Some claimed he was extremely wealthy.

Others remembered seeing him wandering around the city looking disheveled.

Then investigators stumbled onto perhaps their most intriguing clue yet.

‘Chris the Canadian’

Workers at Soupenzo, a cafe on Amsterdam’s Waterlooplein, reportedly recognized the man immediately.

They knew him as “Chris the Canadian.”

One cafe employee said the mystery customer would regularly stop by carrying a suitcase.

He sometimes appeared shabby and mentally unwell, but there was one detail that stood out: He apparently always had money.

The man was also particular about his food, frequently requesting specially prepared versions of soup that employees would make for him.

Investigators were told he spoke English with what witnesses believed was either an American or Canadian accent.

That has fueled speculation that the man may have lived in North America before ending up in the Netherlands.

Authorities now believe he may have spent time in both North America and Nepal, although exactly when — and how he eventually arrived in Amsterdam — remains unclear.

DNA Search Hits a Wall

Police have tried using both DNA and facial-recognition technology to identify the man, but the searches have so far failed to produce an answer.

Investigators say strict privacy laws have limited access to some larger databases that could potentially contain a match.

Meanwhile, the man can apparently use a small number of English words to indicate yes or no, but he remains unable to clearly explain who he is or where he came from.

His condition has left him unable to make major decisions for himself, according to those involved in his care.

He is currently living in a care facility, where police say he spends much of his time lying in bed.

‘Every Person Has the Right to an Identity’

For the retired officers trying to solve the case, the thought that the man may have relatives somewhere wondering what happened to him has made the mystery especially haunting.

“I simply cannot believe that nobody knows who this man really is,” Nel said.

Ruud added: “Every person has the right to an identity, and that includes this man.”

Amsterdam police are now appealing internationally for help, hoping someone recognizes the mysterious patient or one of the many names attached to him.

Somewhere, investigators believe, there may be a family that has spent more than three years wondering where their loved one disappeared.

And the man known only as Lucky, Sonny, Ponytail — or perhaps “Chris the Canadian” — may be unable to tell them he is still alive.