Personal Story: Ghost Boy By Martin Pistorius

Martin Pistorius was a regular kid, living a regular life in South Africa until one day, it took a turn for the worst… or maybe it was for the better. When he was twelve years old, he had a sore throat. In the months to follow, Martin’s body had degenerated and he became a quadriplegic. He was also unable to speak. Martin soon became entirely dependent on caregivers, and he was always being moved from care center to care center. Little did the people around him know, Martin’s mind was completely lucid and awake. This meant he was actually able to hear and understand everything that was happening around him, but he was not able to express himself as he was basically trapped inside his own body. ☺ Ghost Boy is the book Martin wrote about his …show more content…
He is a prowess and never gives up. He was constantly diminished due to his disability, as well as crestfallen due actions and ridiculing of others. Parents, siblings, care providers, neighbors, community members, and even strangers talked over him, not knowing Martin could understand everything they were saying. Martin was smart and intelligent. This helped him become aware of his surroundings and build a strong vocabulary all-across-the-board. ☺ His intelligence also allowed him to communicate and work with computer companies, making them more suitable for people like himself. A great quality about Martin is that he is honest about when he needs …show more content…
In Out of My Mind, an eleven-year-old girl named Melody has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. There are many aspects in Out of My Mind that are basically the same as Martin’s story. Both Martin and Melody have a special person in their lives that believes in them, inspires them, and helps them become more independent. Martin’s special person is named Virna. Virna carries out conversations with Martin, even though she knows he is unable to reply back. She is the one who believes Martin’s brain is fully functioning and he is able to comprehend conversations all around him. Virna also helped set up the meeting with Argumentative and Alternative Communication, or AAC, which later supplied Martin with his first speaking computer. Melody’s special person was Mrs. V., her next-door neighbor. Mrs. V. helps Melody become less dependent on her parents. Mrs. V. also taught Melody how to crawl when she was young. Martin and Melody are very reliant on their parents and other care people. Their parents have faces many struggles, hardships, and weak moments from having a child with a disability. Martin’s family faced financial struggles with different care facilities, doctor appointments, wheelchairs, and later a computer. Martin also remembers a weak moment of his mother: “You must die. You have to die”(Pistorius 63). When Melody’s mother was expecting another baby, her parents