A South African man who had been in a 12-year vegetative state is crediting God for his recovery.

Martin Pistorius spoke with Glenn Beck through a voice synthesizer and said God alone is the reason he was able to communicate.

“Yes, I do believe that if it were not through God’s hand that I would not be where I am today,” Pistorius said.  “If I stop and think about everything that had to happen and the odds of that happening, then there is no doubt in my mind that that could only have happened through divine intervention.”

Pistorius fell ill at age 12 when he had a hard time staying awake.  He was diagnosed with Cryptococcal Meningitis.  His condition worsened and he eventually laid unconscious.  His family took him home from the hospital and prepared for him to die.

He is unable to speak on his own but is now a functional member of society, married and operates a business.

Pistorius said that he never questioned God or why God was doing it to him.

“There were many, many times where in some sense I felt very alone, even if there were people around me,” Pistorius explained. “However, I always seem to pause when making that statement because while a part of me experienced the extreme loneliness and isolation, another part of me always felt the presence of the Lord.”