15 Facts About Martin Pistorius

Martin Pistorius was born on 31 December 1975 and is a South African man who had locked-in syndrome and was unable to move or communicate for 12 years.

Martin Pistorius began regaining consciousness around age 16 and achieved full consciousness by age 19, although he was still completely paralysed with the exception of his eyes.

Martin Pistorius was unable to communicate with other people until his caregiver, Virna van der Walt, noticed that he could use his eyes to respond to her words.

Martin Pistorius sent him to the centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the University of Pretoria for testing, where they confirmed that he was conscious and aware of his surroundings.

Martin Pistorius co-wrote his autobiography Ghost Boy with Megan Lloyd Davies, which was published in 2011.

In 2018, it was announced that the couple were expecting a child, and Martin Pistorius was wheelchair racing.

Martin Pistorius eventually fell into a vegetative state that lasted four years, during which time doctors informed his parents that they did not expect Martin Pistorius to re-awaken or survive for much longer.

Martin Pistorius believes that he began regaining consciousness in the early 1990s, 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, Martin Pistorius regained full consciousness and awareness, but was initially unable to impart this to the people around him.

Martin Pistorius was capable of making small movements that were not initially detected by his primary caregivers.

Martin Pistorius has learned to use augmentative and alternative communication to communicate with others.

Martin Pistorius met his wife Joanna, a UK resident, in 2008 through his sister Kim, who had moved to England for her job.

Martin Pistorius later moved there, and they were married in 2009.

Martin Pistorius described the terrifying experience of being aware but paralysed in a short video recording in 2018, when the couple was about to have a child.

Martin 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".