Locked in Syndrome

I talk, but there is no sound. I move, but my body remains motionless. The only things I can do are perceive, listen, daydream, and imagine a better world. At the ripe age of eighteen when my music career was blazing, doctors declared I was in a coma. However, I was not in a coma; my mental functions were still active. I had locked-in syndrome, a condition in which patients cannot communicate or move but are still aware and awake. Imagine my distress watching the world I built disappear. Friends and distant family members stopped visiting. My mother, a famous media celebrity, and father, a businessman, only occasionally visited. Imagine my loneliness. The only action in my life was when the nurses fed me. Imagine my boredom. My initial thoughts were Why me? I did nothing wrong. I dont deserve this. My latter thoughts were What if I never had locked-in syndrome? Would I be famous? Would I be married? Would I have achieved the American Dreama content family with a large house and white-picket fences and a perfect square lawn? I was selfish, greedy, and unappreciative, and at the age of 33, when the doctors finally realized that I was not in a coma but rather in the state of locked-in syndrome, I still am to an extent, except now, I am more appreciative towards my life. In fact, I would like to thank my parents for never giving up on me. I thank my new friends for supporting me post-locked-in syndrome. I thank my nurses for feeding me and providing me the only constant action in my life. I thank my doctors for constantly checking my condition. I thank my new fans for supporting my music, and finally, I thank myself for changing and becoming a better person. Realizing that life is more than fame and money, I am able to continue living. Perhaps, some day, I may be famous and prosperous, but now, something is more important than that: friendship, love, passion, and following my dreams.