When a person has been in a coma for an extended period of time, it can be difficult for friends and family members to remain upbeat.They may begin to wonder if their loved one will ever re-gain consciousness. This is the exact sentiment that a family in South Africa faced with their loved one.
Martin Pistorius was 12 years old when he first got sick. Doctors diagnosed him with a degenerative illness that eventually left him in a completely vegetative state. His family was heartbroken. It seemed as though Pistorius was vegetative for 12 years. However, Martin believes that he woke up from this state when he was about 14 or 15 years old and had no way to physically indicate his awareness. It is known as “locked-in syndrome” and it is as terrible as it sounds: you are fully conscious, awake, you can hear everything going on around you but can not move a muscle to indicate this. You are effectively locked in your own body. And Martin was locked in his for TEN YEARS.
While Martin appeared to be unconscious, he later stated that he remembered hearing his mother say she wished he was dead. Martin knew that his mother was hurting when she said those things, especially after seeing him remaining unconscious for years on end. When he was 19 years old, Martin gained full consciousness and began communicating with his eyes.
Martin was later transferred to the University of Pretoria for additional testing that confirmed that he was completely aware of his surroundings. While recalling what his mother said years earlier, Martin made it clear that he completely understood her sentiments and wanted to tell her what a great job she had done taking care of him throughout the nightmarish ordeal…