TAMPA, Fla. (NewsNation) — The first patient to receive the Neuralink brain chip tells NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that his life has changed immeasurably for the better since the chip was implanted a year ago.

Before the implant, Noland Arbaugh couldn’t be left alone for 30 minutes; now, he says can play online chess and perform other daily tasks despite becoming paralyzed after a diving accident in 2016.

Arbaugh says he can write an email by simply using thought.

“I just have cursor control, so I’ll go into my email, you know, click around … I don’t have to say anything. It’s just I think, I think I want to click, and it clicks whatever I want. And then after that, I will either use dictation, or I can use a virtual keyboard on my computer screen to type out whatever I want to say.”

Man with brain chip spends time traveling, speaking about Neuralink

Arbaugh says he has had few issues in the year since receiving the implant and can now read books on his own.

“I was an avid reader before my accident, and reading books just kind of wasn’t very possible after my accident. I got stuck listening to audiobooks. And you know, those are hit or miss,” he said.

“I read all the time. Now it’s one of my favorite pastimes.”

Arbaugh now spends his time traveling and speaking about Neuralink, his faith and his personal journey, all while Neuralink continues to update the software.

He added: “From where we were at the beginning, it is massive improvements, and the more people that join the study, the better it’s going to get.”