It’s hard to imagine being trapped inside your own body — fully conscious but unable to move, speak, or let anyone know you’re still there. Yet for South African boy Martin Pistorius, that nightmare became reality at just 12 years old.

Martin suddenly fell ill with an unexplained neurological condition that stole his ability to move and communicate. Doctors assumed he was in a coma with no awareness of the world around him. His parents were told to take him home and keep him comfortable — he likely wouldn’t recover.

But they were wrong. A few years later, Martin’s awareness began to return. He could hear, think, and understand everything happening around him — yet he remained completely paralyzed and voiceless. He described the experience as being “invisible,” trapped in silence while life carried on around him.

“My awareness came back gradually,” he later told All in the Mind. “It took me a while to fully understand that I was trapped inside my body.” For over a decade, Martin lived this way — fully conscious, but unable to tell anyone.

Eventually, a caregiver noticed faint signs of responsiveness, prompting doctors to reevaluate him. Tests confirmed that Martin’s mind was intact — he had been fully aware for years. With therapy and assistive technology, he slowly regained limited movement and communication through a computer system.

Today, Martin lives in Essex, UK, where he runs his own business and communicates via technology. Though he never regained speech, he found love and is married.

He shared his remarkable story in his memoir, Ghost Boy: My Escape from a Life Locked Inside My Own Body, published by Simon & Schuster. His story has inspired millions and been viewed over 10 million times in interviews.

Martin’s journey is a haunting yet hopeful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.