Martin Pistorius - wikipedia Martin Pistorius Martin Pistorius 1975 ( age 41 -- 42 ) Johannesburg, South Africa Nationality South African Occupation Freelance web developer / designer, writer Known for Ghost Boy Spouse ( s ) Joanna ( 2009 -- current ) Website www.martinpistorius.com Martin Pistorius is a South African freelance web designer, developer, and author best known for his 2011 book Ghost Boy, in which he describes living with locked - in syndrome and being unable to move for 12 to 14 years. When he was 12, he began losing voluntary motor control and eventually fell into a vegetative state for three years. He began regaining consciousness around age 16 and achieved full consciousness by age 19, although he was still completely paralyzed with the exception of his eyes. He was unable to communicate with other people until his caregiver Virna van der Walt noticed that he could use his eyes to respond to things she said. She sent him to the University of Pretoria for testing, where they confirmed he was conscious and aware of his surroundings. His parents then gave him a speech computer, and he began slowly regaining some upper body functions. In 2008 he met his wife Joanna through his sister Kim and in 2009 the pair was married. He co-wrote his autobiography Ghost Boy with Megan Lloyd Davies, which was published in 2011. As of 2011, Pistorius has regained limited control over his head and arms but still needs his speech computer to communicate with others. Contents 1 History 1.1 Life 1.2 Family life 1.3 Ghost Boy 1.4 Invisibilia 1.5 Ted Talk 2 References 3 External links History Life During the late 1980s, Pistorius and his parents were living in South Africa, where at the age of 12 he slowly began developing symptoms that included losing the ability to move by himself. Doctors were unable to diagnose the exact ailment and believed it was cryptococcal meningitis and tuberculosis of the brain. Pistorius eventually fell into a vegetative state that lasted 4 years, during which time doctors informed his parents that they did not expect Pistorius to re-awaken or survive for much longer. Starting at age 14, Pistorius received part of his daily care via a care home during the day. At night, he was primarily cared for by his father Rodney, who stated that he woke up every two hours to turn his son so that he would not develop bed sores. Pistorius believes that he began regaining consciousness around age 16 ( around 1992 ), during which time he was able to sense the people around him but did not immediately recall previous events, something he has described as `` a bit like a baby being born ''. Around age 19, Pistorius regained full consciousness and awareness, but was initially unable to impart this to the people around him. He was capable of making small movements that were not initially detected by his primary caregivers. One day, Virna van der Walt -- an aromatherapist and one of Pistorius 's day carers -- began noticing that Pistorius would react to specific statements and questions she made. Upon her recommendations, Pistorius was sent to the Centre For Augmentative And Alternative Communication at the University of Pretoria around age 25. There, they confirmed that he was aware and could respond to statements. Pistorius 's parents gave him a computer with communication software to communicate with the people around him. Family life Pistorius met his wife Joanna ( a UK resident ) in 2008 through his sister Kim, who had moved to the United Kingdom for her job. He later moved to the United Kingdom to be with Joanna and they were married in 2009. Ghost Boy In 2011, Simon & Schuster published Pistorius 's autobiography, Ghost Boy, which he co-wrote with Megan Lloyd Davies. Critical reception for the book has been positive. As of 2011, Pistorius has regained some control over his head and arms and can communicate with others via a computer equipped with text - to - speech software. Invisibilia External media Audio Locked - In Man, Invisibilia, 22 : 55 Video Martin Pistorius, My Way Back to Words, TED Talks, 14 : 31 Pistorius 's story found a considerably larger audience after being featured on the first episode of NPR 's podcast Invisibilia, titled `` The Secret History of Thoughts ''. Ted talk In 2015, at TEDx event in Kansas City, Pistorius described how he freed himself from a life locked inside his own body in his talk `` How my mind came back to life -- and no one knew ''. References Jump up ^ Deveney, Catherine ( July 17, 2011 ). `` The Catherine Deveney Interview : Martin Pistorius : Ghost writer ''. Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 12 January 2015. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Jump up ^ `` Martin Pistorius and Rebecca Grant ''. BBC London 94.9. Retrieved 12 January 2015. ^ Jump up to : Hager, Emily B. `` For Children Who Cannot Speak, a True Voice via Technology ''. New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` February 19, 2010 ''. CBC.ca. Retrieved 12 January 2015. ^ Jump up to : Miller, Lulu. `` Trapped In His Body For 12 Years, A Man Breaks Free ''. NPR. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ Flintoff, John - Paul. `` Inside, Mr Invisible screamed but no one could hear ''. The Sunday Times. Retrieved 12 January 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Interview : Martin Pistorius, author ''. Scotsman. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ Appleyard, Diana. `` From the age of 12 to 26, Martin was frozen in his body, unable to move or speak. But just look at him now... '' Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 January 2015. ^ Jump up to : Pistorius, Martin. `` The Ghost Boy : The uplifting story of how Martin Pistorius survived a mystery paralysis to find love ''. Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Ghost Boy - My Escape from a Life Locked Inside My Body by Martin Pistorius and Megan Lloyd Davies ''. Daily News. October 3, 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2015. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Jump up ^ Ball, Jonathan ( September 16, 2011 ). `` Martin Pistorius. ( review ) ''. Cape Times. Retrieved 12 January 2015. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Jump up ^ Veal, Ben. `` Book Review : ' Ghost Boy ' by Martin Pistorius ''. Guru Magazine. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ Lawson, Dominic ( 17 July 2011 ). `` Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius ( review ) ''. The Sunday Times. Retrieved 12 January 2015. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Jump up ^ Smith, Cyris. `` Ghost boy -- my escape from a life locked inside my body ''. IOL.co.za. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ Burstall, Diana. `` Ghost Boy -- Martin Pistorius ( review ) ''. Echo News. Retrieved 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Locked - In Man ''. TED Talks. January 8, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Martin Pistorius : How my mind came back to life -- and no one knew ''. TED Talks. Retrieved May 18, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Invisibilia : The Secret History Of Thoughts ''. NPR. Invisibilia. National Public Radio. January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2015. External links Official website Parliamentary reception for ' Ghost Boy ' Martin Pistorius at BHTA ( Link Not Working ) Entombed in My Own Body for Over 12 Years at BBC World Service VIAF : 221233754 LCCN : no2012007945 ISNI : 0000 0003 6106 1061 GND : 1017621942 BNF : cb16667702k ( data ) NDL : 001220689 BNE : XX5557726 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martin_Pistorius&oldid=797169484 '' Categories : South African male writers Living people South African autobiographers 1975 births 21st - century writers People from Johannesburg Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2015 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 25 August 2017, at 10 : 15. 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Question: guy who was in a coma for 12 years
Answer: Martin Pistorius