'Felt like a ghost': Man slipped into coma for 13 years after experiencing simple sore throat

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He said he knew about important things happening in the world by listening to the TV or people nearby.

A man from South Africa, who survived over 10 years in coma, has recounted his miraculous journey of recovery. Martin Pistorius, from Johannesburg, shared the terrifying experience of being trapped in his own body, unable to move or communicate, yet fully conscious of everything happening around him.

His struggles began at the age of 12 when he returned home from school with a sore throat, as reported by The Sun. Initially thought to be the flu, his condition deteriorated rapidly, resulting in the loss of mobility, independent eating, and communication abilities. Diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis and brain tuberculosis, he eventually slipped into coma.

His mother said Martin's last words as a child were spoken in the hospital: "When home?"

Doctors said they couldn't do anything, but his parents decided to keep him alive in a care centre. Four years later, he woke up, but he still couldn't talk or move.

"I remember around my 16th birthday people talking about the stubble on my chin and wondering whether to shave me. 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,'' he said. 

He shared that he stayed informed about significant world events by listening to the television or people talking nearby.

'I was aware of everything, just like any normal person. Everyone was so used to me not being there that they didn't notice when I began to be present again. The stark reality hit me that I was going to spend the rest of my life like that - alone. 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. It is like you don't exist, every single thing in your life is decided by someone else,'' he told NBC News. 

Years went by, but he remained confined in a motionless body, with only his thoughts and imagination to keep him company.

In 2001, when he was 25 years old, a caregiver at the day centre urged his parents to take him to the Centre For Augmentative And Alternative Communication at the University Of Pretoria. There, he successfully passed a test by using eye movements to point at objects.

His parents then purchased a computer for him, equipped with communication software akin to what Stephen Hawking used. After extensive practice over many years, he became proficient in communicating through synthetic speech. Eventually, he mastered website development and graduated from university. In 2008, he met his future wife, Joan, through his sister Kim, and they married the following year. They welcomed their son, Sebastian Albert Pistorius, in 2018, and he often shares family photos on Instagram.

Currently, he is employed as a computer scientist and web developer.

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