He Spent 12 Years in a Coma, What Do You Think He Said When He Awoke?

Martin Pistorius was a healthy young boy, full of life and joy. Then as he turned 12 his life changed in the worst way possible; firstly, he noticed that his hands weren’t working the same as they once had. Then quickly his limbs followed and then his mouth.

Suddenly, he found himself unable to do all the things people take for granted – talk to his friends or walk to the shops. Then he couldn’t move at all. It got worse – Martin was fully aware of everything going on around him but he simply couldn’t do anything to react to it. He was a prisoner in his own body and no-one could help him at all.

You might not be able to believe this but things got even worse before they got any better. At first they thought he had cryptococcal meningitis but in reality, Martin was suffering from “locked-in syndrome” which is an untreatable condition and it would be many years of medical care before he would be freed from its grasp and able to share his amazing story with the world.

Martin’s life began like any other. He was born in South Africa and grew up with his brother, sister and caring parents. Then things started to go downhill.

At the age of 12, Martin dropped into a coma. Nobody knew why. He stayed in a coma for three years. Slowly as he turned 16, Martin began to regain his consciousness. Three years later at the age of 19, he was fully conscious. Yet, despite his mind being awake, he still wasn’t able to interact with the world around him or his loved ones. He couldn’t communicate at all. He was paralyzed. He wasn’t able to walk around, move his hands or talk to anyone.

Luckily his nurse and caregiver, Virna van der Velt, noticed that there was one thing Martin could do; he was able to direct his eyes in response to people. From there it became possible for Martin to at least communicate something to the people around him and it inspired his family to press for answers to Martin’s condition.

He was sent to the University of Pretoria and the doctors there found that he was truly conscious and completely capable of understanding his surroundings and what was going on around him.

They began to provide the treatment and support which ever so gradually helped Martin return to his normal life. He was given a speech computer and a wheelchair. He regained a little of his upper body function. Astonishingly, he was able to complete his schooling too. Then he met his British wife Joanna and crossed the seas to live with her in the UK.

Today, he can talk (though he still uses a vocoder built into his wheelchair) and lives life to the full. When asked to describe his experiences Martin said; “For so many years, I was like a ghost. I could hear and see everything but it was like I wasn’t there. I was invisible.”

Martin has recorded his experiences in his autobiography; “Ghost Boy.” In it, he details his life from the day he slipped away from the world right up to the here and now. He continues to inspire others and has been recognized by the President of South Africa as well as giving talks to audiences across the world about his life. He is an inspiration to everyone he meets.