A man who was in a vegetative state for years woke up to tell his stunning story .
South African Martin Pistorius, now 47, was only 12 years old when he developed flu-like symptoms.
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His Symptoms Worsened
Doctors gave him the usual treatment but his illness only got worse, eventually landing him in the hospital.
He Sank Into A Vegetative State
Pistorius told LADbible , “I tested positive for cryptococcal meningitis and tuberculosis of the brain.” Within months, he had “lost the ability to speak and control my movements.”
He Couldn’t Be Cured
Doctors told his parents, Joan and Rodney, that there was nothing more they could do. They were advised to prepare themselves for his eventual death.
He Was An ‘Empty Shell’
For the next four years, he spent his days in a care center and his nights at home. During this time, he was like “an empty shell, unaware of anything around me,” he would later say.
He Woke Up
When Pistorius was 16, he started to “wake up.”
He Was Conscious But Powerless
He heard and understood people’s conversations, and he saw what was going on around him. But he “had absolutely no power or control over anything.”
It Was ‘The Worst Feeling’
He would later describe this as “the worst feeling.”
“It is like you don’t exist, every single thing in your life is decided by someone else,” he added.
No One Noticed
However, no one realized that he was “awake” and aware of what was going on around him.
His Mother Wished For His Death
He recalled being told by his mother at around this time, “You must die.”
A Carer Noticed That He Could Communicate
One day, a carer named Virna van der Walt noticed that he could “answer” questions by moving his head and face.
A Turning Point
When Pistorius was 25, he was brought to the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the University of Pretoria, where it was confirmed that he could indeed communicate.
He Used A Computer To ‘Speak’
His parents got him a computer installed with communication software. This allowed him to “speak” by selecting letters, words, or symbols.
Milestones
He would later get a job at the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication and graduate from a South African university. And in 2009, he married the love of his life, Joanna.
A Tribute To His Parents
Pistorius feels he owes a huge debt of gratitude to his parents. “My father was there for me when I really needed him and when my mother wasn’t able to cope,” he said. “My mother, despite all the heartbreak and trauma, in the end was the one who helped me to communicate again – which changed my life.”
