They all thought he was gone. But he was alive and trapped inside his own body for ten years.
In January 1988 Martin Pistorius, aged twelve, fell inexplicably sick. First he lost his voice and stopped eating. Then he slept constantly and shunned human contact. Doctors were mystified. Within eighteen months he was mute and wheelchair-bound. Martin's parents were told an unknown degenerative disease left him with the mind of a baby and less than two years to live.
Martin was moved to care centers for severely disabled children. The stress and heartache shook his parents' marriage and their family to the core. Their boy was gone. Or so they thought.
Ghost Boy is the heart-wrenching story of one boy's return to life through the power of love and faith. In these pages, readers see a parent's resilience, the consequences of misdiagnosis, abuse at the hands of cruel caretakers, and the unthinkable duration of Martin's mental alertness betrayed by his lifeless body.
We also see a life reclaimed--a business created, a new love kindled--all from a wheelchair. Martin's emergence from his own darkness invites us to celebrate our own lives and fight for a better life for others.
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Add a CommentAmazing read. This man's story is remarkable!
You'll cry, you'll cheer, and you'll rage! An incredible true story of a boy that became inexplicably sick to the degree that he was paralyzed at the age of 12. It is the courageous journey Martin Pistorius to reclaim his life to something that he wants to live. Wow!
This is quite a compelling first-person account of the life of Martin Pistorius, who was completely paralyzed during a mysterious illness when he was 12. For years he lived in a vegetative state, and no one thought that he would recover, although his parents hoped for it. Eventually, Martin "wakes up", although it is gradual, as he becomes aware of his surroundings, but he has no memory of his past. The problem is that no one could tell that he was mentally awake, as his body still would not respond to his wishes. A volunteer at the nursing home suspected that he was intelligent, and encouraged his family to have him tested for compatibility with using assistive devices for speech. The rest of the story is how he gradually came out of his shell and began to believe in himself enough to master computers and to live a more independent life. It is a struggle that hard for us to imagine.
Amazing story.
An interesting look into the mind of someone who is trapped in his own body. Mr. Pistorius did a great job of portraying his family's struggles and his own inner torment. I found it especially revealing when he discussed his return to consciousness and the difficulties he had in making choices and assuming an adult role. I had not really seen that ideaaddressed anywhere before. I recommend this book.
While the protagonist has suffered a great deal, and the parents were heroic in their advocacy for their son, the actual writing is not very good. There are gaps in the plot... what happened to the abusers, how did that romance get off the ground so fast? I would recommend the Diving Bell much higher than this book.
Unimaginable, what this man went through - some of it hard to read, because some of his "carers" never realized he'd find a voice. Poignant, touching, and amazing. Wonderful how his life changed when one who truly cared, noticed he was "there" again. He gave a TED talk in 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD1IX1AFRZg
which, now that I know more about electronic voices, makes me want to post this link too:
https://www.vocalid.co/how
Good
An incredible read. Possibly the quickest I have ever read a book as it was truly so difficult to put down. Martin's experience is unbelievably sad at times, and like others here have mentioned there is horrible abuse he suffered, but overall his life story is inspirational and empowering. As an able-bodied person, I really appreciate the new perspective I have been given to learn to appreciate all that each of us has.
This is just an amazing story that shows that not all who are (nearly) helpless are thoughtless. I would be so bold to say that this is a must read for all caregivers.