Heartwarming Tearjerker of the Day: Mark Ellis suffered a stroke at the age of 22, and subsequently developed locked-in syndrome — he was completely paralyzed and unable to speak, but his mind was unharmed.

But just weeks earlier, his wife Amy had given birth to their daughter Lola-Rose. Despite being given a slim chance of survival, Amy Ellis says her husband eventually regained the ability to talk, move, and walk by mimicking his infant daughter:

He started to make the same sounds, and then the words came too.

There wasn’t much time between him and Lola-Rose both taking their first steps — I think Mark took his first steps a week or two after Lola.

They use toys, books, games and the iPad together to learn how to do things and communicate.

Doctors didn’t expect him to survive but his youth and mental strength have helped him pull through.

Amy Ellis says that despite her husband’s recovery, they support the family of Tony Nicklinson, who has suffered from locked-in syndrome for seven years and last week took his fight for the right to die to court.

[theweek]