Coming out of the darkness
When it’s always such a relief when you wake up? Now imagine what it might be like if this were your waking state, for ten years. Wide awake, but trapped inside a sleeping body — and the worst thing of all? Everyone around you assuming your brain was as shut down as your physical self.
This is what happened to Martin Pistorious. In 1988, when he was 12, the young South African went from being a happy, active kid to someone who slowly closed down and became locked inside his own body. His illness was a mystery. He stopped eating, and began sleeping a lot. His body began to seize up, and walking hurt. His mind also began to shut down — he forgot facts, faces, and eventually, words. Nobody had any idea what was wrong with him, other than some unknown neurological degeneration. He was slipping away. It was assumed he would die.
