Locked-In syndrome is a condition in which a patient is aware and awake, but cannot move or communicate due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body. In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young children, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life, suffered such a kind of stroke.
After 20 days in a deep coma, he gradually regained consciousness. Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working, only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Soon, he was able to dictate a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again.
He felt as if he was trapped in a diving bell, but his mind was free as a butterfly. Sooner, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book. Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Learn how this book becomes his lasting testament to his life. |
