The mystery of 'plant people'

Locked inside immobile bodies for 12 years, one recounted the horrifying experience of a nightmare that seemed to never stop.

'Why don't you die?' those were the words of the desperate mother Joan Pitorius whispering to her son Martin Pitorius, unmoving and unresponsive for years. Martin was the victim of a mysterious disease before adolescence, causing him to fall into a plant life. In the eyes of a doctor, this patient is actually dead, although the body is still clinically alive. However, in fact Martin still hears those words, because he is fully awake in the unmoving body.

Martin was the first person to appear in NPR's Invisibilia program, with content focusing on the invisible forces that drive human behavior. In the late 1980s, Martin was still a normal boy like every other kid in South Africa. However, at the age of 12, he began to lose his ability to move, before being paralyzed and unable to talk. In the end, the patient sank into a coma from the family's inability and doctors. Nobody knew what had happened and the doctor suspected that the boy had cryptococcal neoformans meningitis, but they were not sure. However, one thing they are certain is that Martin has "died" mentally, and the body will soon cease to function. So the hospital asked the mother to take her child home, to let him relax . waiting for death.

Happy Martin Pitorius at the wedding after "resurrection" - (Photo: NPR)

For years, Joan and her husband, Rodney, took care of their children, extending their lingering lives that, according to them, are no different from hell. But what the two of you didn't know was that Martin always endured with them.'About 2 years after I started living plants, I just woke up' , according to Martin, now 39 years old. 'I am fully aware of everything, just like normal people around,' Martin shared on NPR Radio.

Everything here includes the words of the bedside mother of the suffering mother, but he could not respond, because he was trapped in an immobile body. Because his parents did not know that his son had gained consciousness, Martin was forced to lie there and endure what he had placed in front of his eyes, as if watching the boredom of Barney's dinosaur program always bouncing back and forth in the care center. in the morning.

However, over time, although it was slow, Martin began to regain control of the body, but no one noticed the patient moving for the first time. Finally, thanks to a caregiver at the center, the doctor noticed Martin and discovered 'the plant' not only moved but also communicated, 'like people have unveiled an invisible curtain. from my body, ' recalls Martin.

Now, Martin settled in England with his wife Joanna. For his physical and mental illness for many years, it was 'complete confinement syndrome' , there was no treatment. However, Martin's case has given hope to those who face the same situation, as well as bringing their relatives trust. There are still conflicting hypotheses with one side that the 'botanical person' actually died, and one side hoped the feat would still happen.