Where man who spent 13 years ‘locked in his own body’ is now more than decade later

A man who suffered from 'locked-in syndrome' for over 10 years has reflected what he went through.

Martin Pistorius, from Johannesburg, South Africa, came home from school in 1988 and told his mum that he had a sore throat and headache. The 12-year-old's flu-like symptoms got worse and he eventually lost the ability to communicate and use his body.

After falling into a vegetative state, doctors assumed that he was in coma.

"I tested positive for cryptococcal meningitis and tuberculosis of the brain and was treated for both," he explained to LADbible in 2024.

"My body weakened and I lost the ability to speak and control my movements.

"Everything, from what you wear, to what you eat and drink, even if you eat or drink, to where you will be tomorrow, or next week, and there is nothing you can do about it."

Because no one knew Martin had locked-in syndrome, no one realised that he was still conscious. By 16, he regained consciousness but was still trapped in his body.

Around three years later, Martin was able communicate with the use of computers to convert small eye movements into speech.

While he still faces severe physical limitations and requires a wheelchair, he has regained limited control over his head and arms.

Now, he is a father and an advocate for disability rights, and works as a web designer while sharing his story through public speaking and social media. On his fiftieth Birthday, he wrote on Instagram that his 'life has held deep pain, trauma, and challenges that felt utterly insurmountable'.

"And yet, here I am, having lived through things I was never meant to survive," Martin said.

"Alongside that, there has also been joy, real, unbridled joy. Moments of beauty, connection, and wonder that exceeded anything I could have dreamed of.

"When I reflect on the past 50 years, what remains is not hardship or achievement, but love, gratitude, and appreciation and a quiet, sustaining faith that has carried me through both light and dark."

He admitted: "I still face challenges, but as I step into this next year, my intention is simple: to keep showing up, to shine my light where I am able, and to give back in ways that matter.

"Fifty years in, I know this: life is fragile, painful, and astonishing but also precious and stunningly beautiful. And I remain deeply grateful to be here, still learning, still becoming."