National Public Radio’s NPR.org reported Jan. 9 about the remarkable story of Martin Pistorius, who fell into a mysterious coma as a boy — and woke up 12 years later. He recalled how he was aware of everything:

“Yes, I was there, not from the very beginning, but about two years into my vegetative state, I began to wake up,” said Pistorius, who is now 39 and married.

“I was aware of everything, just like any normal person. Everyone was so used to me not being there that they didn’t notice when I began to be present again,” said Pistorius, who published a memoir called Ghost Boy: My Escape From a Life Locked Inside My Own Body.

“Eventually, Martin found a way to reframe even the ugliest thoughts that haunted him,” NPR reported.

“And slowly, as his mind felt better, something else happened — his body began to get better, too. It involved inexplicable neurological developments and a painstaking battle to prove that he existed.”