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Ghost Boy

the Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body
Jul 06, 2017JCLColleenO rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
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.