Ghost Boy

The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body

De: Martin Pistorius

Narrado por: Simon Bubb

New York Times best seller.

They all thought he was gone. But he was alive and trapped inside his own body for ten years.

In January 1988 Martin Pistorius, aged 12, fell inexplicably sick. First, he lost his voice and stopped eating. Then he slept constantly and shunned human contact. Doctors were mystified. Within 18 months, he was mute and wheelchair-bound. Martin's parents were told an unknown degenerative disease left him with the mind of a baby and less than two years to live.

Martin was moved to care centers for severely disabled children. The stress and heartache shook his parents’ marriage and their family to the core. Their boy was gone. Or so they thought.

Ghost Boy is the heart-wrenching story of one boy’s return to life through the power of love and faith. In this audiobook, listeners will learn of:

• A parent’s resilience
• The consequences of misdiagnosis
• Abuse at the hands of cruel caretakers
• The unthinkable duration of Martin’s mental alertness betrayed by his lifeless body

We also see a life reclaimed — a business created, a new love kindled — all from a wheelchair.

Martin's emergence from his own darkness invites us to celebrate our own lives and fight for a better life for others.

©2013 Thomas Nelson Publishers (P)2015 Thomas Nelson Publishers

What an awesome book.

If you could sum up Ghost Boy in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, captivating and moving.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the Ghost Boy as a whole. The story flowed from beginning to end. When the last line of the book was spoken I yelled, NO! I wanted to hear more. The story was so good that I didn't want it to end. If I had to say, I guess what I liked most about the story was about how he triumphed from a tormenting situation to communicating with his family and friends once again. How he overcame in the face of adversity.

What about Simon Bubb’s performance did you like?

The performance of the reader was excellent. He knew just when to act the part. He was very smooth.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was moved through out the book because the boy suffered so much that it was hard not to be moved but, when the boy told about his sexual abuse at one Country Center for the mentally Challenged I felt anger. There was another situation of abuse that also made me angry. Some people in this world are so mean.

Any additional comments?

The story was about a boy that all of a sudden became ill and became coma like. He came out of the coma in two years but then he was in like a vegetable state. Everyone thought he was brain damaged but he wasn't. He was trapped inside a body that wouldn't move and was paralyzed. He was treated like a brain dead patient. The story tells of his suffering in a world where people didn't know he was in there screaming to get out. He had feeling throughout his body and ached at times to be turned. He could taste and hated the same food day in and day out. They played Barney on the TV every day and he hated Barney. He longed for the end of the day every day when his father would come and take him out of the care facility to the comfort of his home. The story goes on to tell his story as he progresses through life and becomes able to communicate. You will not be able to think of a person in a coma in the same way as you used to think of them. The book has a surprising and beautiful end. I didn't want the story to end because it flowed so beautifully. I wasn't ready to stop hearing about his life. I laughed, I cried twice and I listened to the whole book in one setting. I just couldn't put it down. I'd say a lot more but I don't want to give the book away.

What an incredible and inspiring story!

I am so deeply touched by this true story of one man’s incredible journey in such never before trodden territory. His faith, stamina, insight courage and love give me a new appreciation of life and how we all touch and affect other’s lives in either positive or negative ways. It makes me reflect on my own purpose in life and how God does truly have a plan and a purpose for EVERYONE!

Words aren’t sufficient...

This story is so amazing on so many levels. I am truly changed by knowing it. My heart aches for Martin, but also rejoices. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Such an encouragement

What an amazingly encouraging book. Thank you for sharing this with all of us, Martin. I have been blessed while listening

Love, love, love his story!

God gave him a gift I am so glad he shared it with the world.

Absolutely fantastic!

This book is now near the top of my most loved books! It's beautifully written and read and so inspirational. I was sad when it ended. What the authors life was and is like is truly one of a kind. It's a must read or listen for everyone. The last chapter had me in tears it was so beautiful. Thank you Martin Pistorius for sharing your life with us!

An amazing true story!

As someone who spent her professional life working with children who had significant disabilities, I always believed in the light and the life that exists within everyone, even in those children who appeared most devastated when viewed from the outside. My inspiration for a career spent trying to provided a voice for the voiceless was a young lady who laughed appropriately to a joke told to my teaching assistants in my class of students who were classified as profoundly cognitively impaired. This story movingly validated my beliefs.

Such hope

With great hope, faith and love, it is amazing what the human spirit can endure. To be alive in a body that isn't able to function has got to be such a prison like no other. To try to communicate to others to let them know you are aware ~ left me speechless. Good Book!!

Amazing and horrifying

I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to be trapped inside a body that didn't work. To be fully aware but not be able to communicate that to anyone. Martin endured so many frustrations and even abuse. This book changed the way I will view anyone who is in a similar position. I'm so happy he found happiness and love in his life.

Most important book I have ever read

If you could sum up Ghost Boy in three words, what would they be?

Riveting, eye opener

What other book might you compare Ghost Boy to and why?

Still Alice. You have to live through it

Have you listened to any of Simon Bubb’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Silence is not golden

Any additional comments?

You will never tell some one they are special because they enjoy working with special needs.