He gradually lost the ability to speak, walk and control his body, before doctors believed he had entered a vegetative state.“I tested positive for cryptococcal meningitis and tuberculosis of the brain and was treated for both,” Pistorius toldin 2024.“My body weakened and I lost the ability to speak and control my movements.“Everything, from what you wear, to what you eat and drink, even if you eat or drink, to where you will be tomorrow, or next week, and there is nothing you can do about it.”Doctors reportedly told his parents that their son now had the mental capacity of a baby and advised them to take him home to die. “But at the same time, particularly as I worked through all the emotions, I felt only love and compassion for my mother.”A breakthrough came in 2001, when a therapist at his care centre, Virna van der Walt, noticed subtle signs of awareness.“He had a sparkle in his eye, I could see he was understanding me,” she later wrote.She urged Pistorius’ parents to seek cognitive testing. On his 50th birthday, he reflected publicly on what he has survived.“My life has held deep pain, trauma, and challenges that felt utterly insurmountable,” he wrote.“And yet, here I am, having lived through things I was never meant to survive.”He added:“When I reflect on the past 50 years, what remains is not hardship or achievement, but love, gratitude, and appreciation and a quiet, sustaining faith that has carried me through both light and dark.”Despite ongoing challenges, his focus remains forward-looking.“I still face challenges,” he wrote, “but as I step into this next year, my intention is simple: to keep showing up, to shine my light where I am able, and to give back in ways that matter.”His advice, shaped by years of being seen but unheard, is unambiguous:“Treat everyone with kindness, dignity, compassion and respect, irrespective of whether you think they understand or not.”
Author: TOI Trending Desk
Published at: 2026-01-31 21:06:14
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