For 12 years, Martin Pistorius spent his life in the hospital, trapped in a vegetative state while his mind was active. He recalled painful moments when people visited his room and talked like he was not there, and he even heartbreakingly thought that no one would ever love him.
It all started when Pistorius was 12-years-old and came down with a strange illness that caused him to lose his ability to walk, talk and make eye contact. Everybody, including his parents thought that the condition affected his brain too. But two years into his vegetative state, Pistorius regained his mental consciousness.
"Everyone was so used to me not being there that they didn't notice when I began to be present again," he told NPR. "The stark reality hit me that I was going to spend the rest of my life like that— totally alone."
His parents, Rodney and Joan Pistorius did everything they could to take care of their son. Day in and day out, Rodney would wake up around 5am to get his son dressed then take him to a special care center.
"Eight hours later, I'd pick him up, bathe him, feed him, put him in bed, set my alarm for two hours so that I'd wake up to turn him so that he didn't get bedsores," Rodney told NPR.
Those were days of torture for their son, who was bombarded with negative thoughts. "No one will ever show me tenderness," he thought. "No one will ever love me."
And as much as he wanted to, Pistorius could not get away from his thoughts. The popular children's show, Barney aired on loop in the special care centre his father took him to. "I cannot even express to you how much I hated Barney," he said.
What's worse, he was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by caretakers who assumed that he was unconscious and unaware of his surroundings. But one of his caretakers, Virna van der Walt, was instrumental in changing his life.
When she noticed signs of comprehension, she began talking to him. "Having another person validate your existence is incredibly important," he said. "In a sense it makes you feel like you matter."
It was van der Walt who convinced Pistorius' parents to send him for cognitive testing, which later proved that his mind was perfectly healthy.
After this harrowing ordeal, Pistorius wants to share to the world to "never underestimate the power of the mind." He relishes the chance to now live a happy, normal life and has graduated university, got a job, and married the love of his life.
"I am truly happy now, life is worth living," Pistorius told Fox News.
