Martin Pistorius lived a nightmare for over a decade. Martin was in a vegetative state for 12 years but unknown to his family and caregivers, he was completely conscious.

Martin said he coped by escaping into his mind. He would imagine he was somewhere else. The thing that upset him the most was being placed in front of the television watching Barney the dinosaur repeatedly. This was an incredibly stressful situation for his parents. Once, his mom was very upset and frustrated and actually said, “I hope you die.” She was completely unaware that he was mentally concious.

One of his nurses believed that Martin could understand her. She pressed his parents to get further testing which opened up avenues for Martin. Now, he is even able to talk with the use of a computer, has a college degree and is married.

Martin wrote “Ghost Boy: The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body” about his horrific story, which began when he fell ill at 12 years old.  It’s amazing that he was able to keep his sanity while being trapped in his body.

Doctors had trouble nailing down a diagnosis for Martin. It was believed that he had meningitis, which is often a deadly disease.

There has been an outbreak of meningitis recently at Santa Clara University. Three students have been diagnosed with it. The university is offering students and faculty meningitis vaccinations. The demand has created long lines, as you can see in the video below.

Martin’s experience of being trapped inside his body is something straight out of a horror film. It’s understandable that students would opt to get a vaccine.

How would you react to having to watch Barney for years on end with no physical escape?

H/T: Q Political

Mentioned in this article:

More About: