A man ‘locked in his body’ for more than a decade woke up to tell a remarkable storyA man who was trapped in his own body for a decade said he felt ‘powerless’.
As a 12-year-old boy, Martin Pistorius contracted cryptococcal meningitis and tuberculosis of the brain and became extremely unwell.
He was treated for the illnesses, but he went on to develop something known as locked-in syndrome (LiS).
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines LiS as a rare disorder of the nervous system that leaves someone paralyzed, except for the muscles that control eye movement, as per its website.
Martin Pistorius was extremely unwell as a child and into his teenage years (Supplied)
While paralyzed, the person still has full consciousness but cannot speak.
Modern-day technology has allowed some people with the condition to be able to communicate with eye movements and blinking.
For example, one UK man with LiS was able to write a book using an Eyegaze computer, BBC News reported earlier this year.
Martin had LiS for over a decade—four years of which he was in a complete vegetative state.
Speaking about what it was like to have the rare disorder, Martin told LADbible: “For me, that feeling of complete and utter powerlessness is probably the worst feeling I have ever experienced, and I hope I never have to experience it again.”
The South African native has come on leaps and bounds (martinpistorius/Instagram)
“It is like you don’t exist; every single thing in your life is decided by someone else,” he went on.
“Everything, from what you wear to what you eat and drink, even if you eat or drink, to where you will be tomorrow or next week, there is nothing you can do about it.”
It wasn’t until Martin’s 16th birthday that he started to feel more like himself again.
“I remember around my 16th birthday people talking about the stubble on my chin and wondering whether to shave me,” he recalled.
“It scared and confused me to listen to what was being said because, although I had no memories or sense of a past, I was sure I was a child and the voices were speaking about a soon-to-be man.
“I was able to hear, see, and understand everything around me, but I had absolutely no power or control over anything.”
At this point, no one around Martin knew he’d regained consciousness and presumed that the then teenager was still in a coma.
Martin pictured with his wife (Supplied)
But then he met therapist Virna van der Walt in 2001, who worked out that Martin still had ‘a sparkle in his eye’ and speculated that he’d regained consciousness.
This sparked more research into Martin’s state, and his parents went on to buy a computer that was preloaded with communication software so he could converse with them.
Over two decades on, Martin’s had a miraculous recovery and carved out an incredible life for himself.
Updating his followers on his progress in an Instagram post, Martin explained: “Since 2010, I have: graduated with a first-class honors degree in computer science; learnt to drive; published my book (Ghost Boy); given a TED Talk; started wheelchair racing; set a European record; been awarded a doctorate; travelled far and wide; and become a father.”
