What Martin Pistorius has gone through is incredible. After becoming progressively sick with a mysterious illness. He was treated for tuberculosis and cryptococcal meningitis to no avail. The doctor’s eventually came to the conclusion it was a degenerative neurological disorder. Martin was believed to have slipped into a coma, and he seemed to be in a vegetative state for close to a decade.
What nobody knew is he was aware of everything that was going on around him, but was trapped in his body and was unable to respond. For awhile Martin described being like an empty shell then slowly becoming more aware of the days and hours. He remembers being stuck in front of a television for hours all the time and grew to loathe a certain television show. He recalls Nelson Mandella’s political rise, and the death of Princess Diana clearly.
Most of all he remembers how he was treated by others who cared for him. He remembers the words spoken about him like he wasn’t even there, and being verbally, physically, and sexually abused while helpless. All of this has made him come forward in a way to advocate for people to be more kind, compassionate, and treat all people with dignity regardless if you think they understand. Especially those who are terminally ill because you just never know how things can turn around and people can recover. His life is a testament that miracles do happen. He had been placed in the institution to let the illness take its course until he died, and thankfully his life was not taken from him by euthanasia. Since his recovery he has lived life to its fullest learning to drive, going to school and even got married. It is wonderful to see how happy he is in his reclaimed life, with his loving wife by his side. Martin has a lot of catching up to do and he seems to be eager to experience all that was once beyond his ability to enjoy. We wish him a lifetime of health and happiness.
