Malta’s only known case of locked-in syndrome believes the right to die should be a choice, even though it is not a path he would ever choose for himself.

Manuel Longo, 50, is imprisoned in his body, unable to move or talk, after a stroke damaged his brainstem 12 years ago, but he tells The Sunday Times that although his future is bleak he never lost his will to live.

Manuel Longo is bedridden at St Vincent de Paul Residence. Photo: Jason Borg

Communicating through the laborious process of pointing a laser beam at letters to form each word, Mr Longo shares his story just weeks after the plea for assisted suicide by locked-in syndrome victim Tony Nicklinson was thrown out by the UK’s High Court.

After the verdict, Mr Nicklinson started refusing food and died from pneumonia on August 22.

Mr Longo, who lives at St Vincent de Paul and is well cared for, empathises with Mr Nicklinson. “I can really understand him and he must have had his reasons for wanting to end his life, but I’m happy to have been saved.”

Full story - It just feels like I'm a thinking corpse - See http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120909/local/-It-just-feels-like-I-m-a-thinking-corpse-.436084