'Ghost Boy' Survives Over A Decade Trapped In His Body | NBC Nightly News

back now with an NBC News exclusive tonight the first American TV interview with a man who lived essentially trapped inside his own body for about a decade of his life he could see and hear everything around him but he couldn't talk and he couldn't control his body movements doctors told his parents he couldn't understand the world going on around him but that all changed one day when someone finally realized he was in there then started the effort to unlock the man inside we get his story tonight from from NBC's Kate Snow to look at Martin Pistorius now you'd never know what he's been through he was a healthy 12-year-old growing up in South Africa when he went home sick from school one day he never ever got better his body weakened he lost control of his muscles stopped communicating doctors believed it was a neurodegenerative disease and told his parents he was unaware of the world around him but that was wrong for nearly a decade he says he was awake but no one noticed for some many years I was like a ghost it was like I wasn't there I was invisible this is Martin today this is how you communicate now yes he speaks by typing into a computer that voices his words because that takes time we gave him some of our questions in advance you must have overheard so many conversations yes many times you get to see and hear things that you probably never would things like what people really think and how they really are when nobody is watching like one night when he heard his mom in a moment of Despair I said to him one day I hope you die and I had no idea that he understood that and I'm very very sorry I said it while I was very sad and upset by what she said I understood where that was coming from my mother often felt that she wasn't a good mom and one of the the hardest things for me was I couldn't tell her that no you are doing great she is a good mother Martin lived at home with his parents but was regularly in Care Centers where he says at times he was subjected to abuse verbal physical and sexual there was never a care home that I was in where there wasn't some degree of abuse even if it didn't happen to me I witnessed it happening to others but he says most of his caregivers were good people like the therapist who noticed a glimmer in 's eye 10 years into his illness Tess revealed he could communicate I remember feeling happy like wow but also thinking to myself what next as your mind grew stronger did your body also get stronger yes my body slower got stronger too it took a massive amount of work Blood Sweat and Tears literally over many years he went to college even Learned to Drive using an adapted car and in 2008 he he met a friend of his sisters Jonah I just thought he's really attractive they got married 5 years ago Martin it sounds almost like a love at first sight kind of story yes I think it was it is hard to explain but you just know I had heard people say that always thought yeah right until it happened to me his message now don't overlook what's possible treat everyone with kindness dignity compassion and respect whether or not you think they understand or not to never underestimate the power of the Mind the importance of love and faith and to never stop dreaming Martin is a man who appreciates every joy in life his book ghost boy is now on the New York Times best seller list Brian what an incredible story and what a message there at the end about how to treat other [Music] people

Channel: NBC News

Views: 10,890,805

Keywords: nbc news, nbc, news, news channel, news station, newspaper, breaking news, us news, world news, politics, nightly news, current events, top stories, pop culture, business, health, Martin Pistorius, Martin Pistorius ghost boy, ghost boy book, ghost boy, martin pistorius interview, martin pistorius nbc news

Id: LTikuFFr7JA

Length: 4min 1sec (241 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 02 2015