Imagine being unable to say, "I am hungry," "I am in pain," "thank you," or "I love you,” -- losing your ability to communicate, being trapped inside your body, surrounded by people yet utterly alone. For 13 long years, that was Martin Pistorius’s reality. After contracting a brain infection at the age of twelve, Pistorius lost his ability to control his movements and to speak, and eventually he failed every test for mental awareness. He had become a ghost. But then a strange thing started to happen -- his mind began to knit itself back together. In this moving talk, Pistorius tells how he freed himself from a life locked inside his own body.

Martin Pistorius: How my mind came back to life — and no one knew

How my mind came back to life — and no one knew

Locked in silence for 13 years, a man's mind reawakens inside a non-responsive body, revealing the profound isolation of being unheard.

Emergence from a 'vegetative state' underscores the imperative of recognizing consciousness in the uncommunicative, altering perceptions.

A journey from ghost to communicator epitomizes the transformative power of being seen and heard, advocating for empathy and connection.