It can feel like the worst nightmare one could ever imagine to be confined to their own body, unable to move or communicate, and to have anyone, including oneself, realize that you are still there.
Sadly, these terrifying tales are the reality for some people.
A mysterious neurological disease struck South African 12 years old Martin Pistorius. He started to lose his ability to move and talk quickly. Everyone was under the impression that he had just fallen into an unfathomable coma.
Although he did not appear to be aware of his surroundings, that was far from the case. He was aware of his condition a few years after he was put to sleep, but he was unable to move or speak, so he could not act.
It wasn’t until years later that doctors discovered he was somewhere there, trapped inside his own body.
He stated to All in the Mind magazine, “My consciousness was gradual, so it wasn’t like I was asleep one moment and awake the next.” Martin said after he finally got his life back, though not completely, “it took me a while to realize I was trapped in my body.”
We have no idea what it must have been like to go through something as horrible as Martin did.
Martin is able to walk today, but he has lost the ability to speak. His speech, on the other hand, is made easier by computer communication.
He runs his business from his home in Essex, UK, where he is married.
Martin put his life experiences into words in the best-selling book Ghost Boy: Simon and Schuster’s My Escape from a Life Locked in My Own Body is a book.
More than 10 million people have viewed his NBC News interviews. Watch the video below to learn more about his remarkable story, and don’t forget to SHARE it with your loved ones.