A man's story of waking up 12 years after falling into a coma – and remembering everything in between – is the first installment of "Invisibilia," a new National Public Radio series on human behavior.
The topic is based on Martin Pistorius' book "Ghost Boy: My Escape from a Life Locked Inside My Own Body," in which he tells how he fell into a coma at age 12 from cryptycoccal meningitis and how he fought his way back to life,
according to WGN-TV.
Unable to communicate and move his body, Pistorius, now 39, said he was left with his own thoughts while being aware of what others were saying and doing around him. Doctors told his family that he would probably die shortly and they should continue with a daily routine for him.
Pistorius said that while he was not fully conscious when the disease first took over, he was fully aware by age 19.
"Everyone was so used to me not being there that they didn't notice when I began to be present again," Pistorius told
NPR. "The stark reality hit me that I was going to spend the rest of my life like that – totally alone."
He told NPR he felt "doomed" because he felt stuck in his body where he could not communicate and express his thoughts. He even remembered hearing his mother saying at one point, "I hope you die."
"The rest of the world felt so far away when she said those words," said Martin.
Pistorius said he remembered how he was placed in front of a television each day to watch children shows.
"I cannot even express to you how much I hated Barney," Pistorius told NPR.
Pistorius said, though, he eventually reached a breaking point with his anger and hopelessness and started to re-engage with the rest of the world with positive thoughts. Because of that, his body started to respond as well and he slowly started to make neurological gains that brought him out of his coma, noted NPR.
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