Man Woke Up From Coma And Told Family He Heard Everything

A 12-year-old boy in South Africa became ill suddenly, and he went into a coma. The family lost hope as years went by and the young man neither moved nor responded to anything. Some 12 years later they were shocked when he began moving and responding, but it turns out that he had actually been conscious for years.

Martin Pistorius suffered from cryptococcal meningitis and tuberculosis of the brain when he was just 12 years old and began losing his motor functions. Eventually, he spiraled into a worsening state, and ended up in a coma. Doctors said there was nothing they could do; they never expected him to wake up again.

But Pistorius remained stable in a comatose state. At around the age of 14, his parents moved him back home and started taking care of him themselves. They woke up every two hours to turn him so he wouldn't get bed sores. they fed him, kept him clean and dressed him. They had an attendant come in during the day as well to help.

Pistorius regained consciousness around the age of 16, but no one knew. He could hear things within earshot, and see things going on in front of his field of vision, but he was paralyzed and couldn't respond to anyone. The family continued to think that he was in a coma.

One day, a health care attendant noticed the young man using his eyes to respond to things she said. He was sent for testing and doctors confirmed he was conscious. His parents started working with him on a speech computer and he slowly regained some functioning.

Pistorius made a miraculous recovery. He's now married, working as a freelance web designer, and he has authored a book entitled, "Ghost Boy." The book tells the tale of what his plight was like in all those years.

Pistorius recalls his mother one day when he was a teen saying she wished he would die. When he was able to communicate better he shocked his mother by telling her that he heard this. She's heartbroken that he heard her say this, but Pistorius says he understands. He realized she only said it because she wanted to see his suffering end. He wished he could tell her that she's a good mother.

Tragically, he says that he would sometimes spend time in care homes, and he says that he doesn’t remember a time in which he didn’t witness some kind of abuse: verbal, physical and sexual. Sometimes he was abused, and sometimes he would witness it. People would do things in front of Pistorius without thinking that he might have been taking it in.

Pistorius has a message that he wants to share with the world: "Treat everyone with kindness, dignity, compassion and respect whether you think they understand or not. To never underestimate the power of the mind. The importance of love and faith and to never stop dreaming."

Source: LittleThings
Photo: YouTube Screenshot, Martin Pistorius, NBC Screenshot