The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby had a massive stroke. Before the stroke he was the very successful editor for Elle magazine. Afterwards he is completely paralyzed, only able to move his left eye to communicate with the world. He is completely conscious but cannot communicate his thoughts or move (called Locked-In Syndrome). In his hospital room, he begins to work with therapists to try to regain some of his movement. He works with a speech therapist and develops a code for communicating. The therapist will go through the alphabet (most popular letters first) and Jean-Dominique will blink when the correct letter is reached. The letters become words and the words become sentences. And over a year, the sentences become a book. 

The book, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death, describes the struggles that Jean-Dominique has with communication and his disconnect from the rest of the world. He describes visiting with his children who he can no longer talk to or touch. He discusses the nursing staff who he comes to love and hate at the same time. He goes on elaborate flights of fantasy to relieve the boredom of being stuck in his own head. His paralysis is the diving bell, pinning him within himself. The butterfly is his mind which is able to fly free, exploring and imagining. He sees everything, noticing details that others would miss. His descriptions of the room, the hospital, and the world around him are amazing. 

This book is a beautiful reminder of how precious the simple act of living can be. It is a reaffirmation that the mind is an amazing thing. And it is a miracle that it ever got written. Jean-Dominique and his very patient speech therapist create a beautiful book one letter at a time. One blink at a time. Jean-Dominique died two years after his stroke and two days after the publication of this book in France. He left a lasting legacy of his Locked-in experience and a new way to view life. The book has now become a motion picture. But this book is an amazing reminder of the value of life, and worth reading.