When a severe stroke left Mia Austin paralyzed from the neck down at just 21, she was unable to speak and was diagnosed with “locked in syndrome.” Doctors say it’s the closest thing to be buried alive, Mia could see, hear, and think as normal, but couldn’t move.
Now she can only communicate with eye movement, but using that method, Mia wrote a book, “In the Blink of an Eye,” about her experiences after the stroke. She has a special computer that recognizes her eye gazes, so she had to use her eyes to choose each letter and it took about a year to finish.
Not only is Mia, now 29, an accomplished author now, she’s also completed a few college classes and has done charitable work to help orphanages in Africa.“I love to take part in new challenges to prove I can succeed despite my condition,” Mia explains about her desire to give back. “I also want to support various charities because I have received help myself in the past.”